Validity of a rapid diagnostic programme for head and neck cancer.

Introduction And Objectives: Given the epidemiological knowledge of squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCHN), the prognosis in survival according to the staging at diagnosis and the absence of screening programmes that have proven cost-effective, we undertook a rapid diagnosis programme. The objective of this study was to analyse whether a rapid diagnostic programme (RDP) to be used by General Practitioners (GP) would achieve a change in the proportion of diagnoses in early versus late stages in these tumours.

Methods: A prospective observational study of patients diagnosed with a tumour of ENT location in our centre, was carried out for 24 consecutive months.