A study protocol for individualized prognostic counselling in the palliative phase.

Background: Head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) has a poor prognosis, with approximately 25-30% of patients transitioning into the palliative phase at some point. The length of this phase is relatively short, with a median duration of five months. Patients in this stage often have increased prognostic information needs.

Three-year trajectories and associated factors of fear of cancer recurrence in newly diagnosed head and neck cancer patients: a longitudinal study.

Purpose: Limited data exists on the long-term course of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients. One in five patients was found to experience persistent high FCR in the first months after diagnosis. This study assessed the 3-year trajectories and associated factors of FCR in newly diagnosed HNC patients.

A comprehensive approach to defining the cutoff value of oligometastasis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Patients with limited distant metastatic disease, also known as oligometastasis, show better survival rates than polymetastatic patients, and may be amenable for curative-intent treatment. The definition of oligometastasis, however, is unknown, and no quantitative analyses on the cutoff value for oligometastasis have been performed before. This study aims to derive specific threshold values for the number of metastases and affected locations that defines oligometastatic disease in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Development of an Ex Vivo Functional Assay for Prediction of Irradiation Related Toxicity in Healthy Oral Mucosa Tissue.

Radiotherapy in the head-and-neck area is one of the main curative treatment options. However, this comes at the cost of varying levels of normal tissue toxicity, affecting up to 80% of patients. Mucositis can cause pain, weight loss and treatment delays, leading to worse outcomes and a decreased quality of life.

A New Proposal for Adequate Resection Margins in Larynx and Hypopharynx Tumor Surgery-Are the RCP Guidelines Feasible?

Background: Resection margins are an important prognostic factor for patients with head and neck cancer. In general, for head and neck surgery, a margin >5 mm is advised by the Royal College of Pathologists. However, this cannot always be achieved during laryngeal and hypopharyngeal surgery.