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Head and Neck Cancer: A Review of the Impact of Treatment Delay on Outcome

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Abstract

Delay between the initial symptoms, diagnosis, and the definitive treatment of head and neck cancers is associated with tumor progression and upstaging. These delays may lead to poor outcomes and may mandate more aggressive treatments with unnecessary morbidity and even mortality. The multidisciplinary team approach for the treatment of patients with head and neck cancers has improved organization of standard clinical guidelines, but this development has yet to translate into a demonstrable impact on survival. We review the association between waiting times (time between diagnosis and initiation of treatment) and clinical outcomes in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

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Acknowledgements

This article was written by members of the International Head and Neck Scientific Group (http://www.IHNSG.com).

Funding

No funding or sponsorship was received for this study or publication of this article.

Authorship

All named authors meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship for this article, take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole, and have given their approval for this version to be published.

Disclosures

Andrés Coca-Pelaz, Robert P. Takes, Kate Hutcheson, Nabil F. Saba, Missak Haigentz Jr., Carol R. Bradford, Remco de Bree, Primož Strojan, Valerie J. Lund, William M. Mendenhall, Iain J. Nixon, Miquel Quer, Alessandra Rinaldo, and Alfio Ferlito have nothing to declare.

Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

This article is based on previously conducted and reported studies and does contain studies with human participants performed by some of the authors, but does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors. These previously reported studies are clearly referenced.

Data Availability

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain

    Andrés Coca-Pelaz

  2. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Robert P. Takes

  3. Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Section of Speech Pathology and Audiology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Kate Hutcheson

  4. Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, The Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Nabil F. Saba

  5. Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Morristown Medical Center/Atlantic Health System, Morristown, NJ, USA

    Missak Haigentz Jr.

  6. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Carol R. Bradford

  7. Department of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, UMC Utrecht Cancer Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Remco de Bree

  8. Department of Radiation Oncology, Institute of Oncology, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Primož Strojan

  9. Professorial Unit, Ear Institute, University College London, London, UK

    Valerie J. Lund

  10. Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    William M. Mendenhall

  11. Department of Surgery and Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Edinburgh University, Edinburgh, UK

    Iain J. Nixon

  12. Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain

    Miquel Quer

  13. University of Udine School of Medicine, Udine, Italy

    Alessandra Rinaldo

  14. Coordinator of the International Head and Neck Scientific Group, Padua, Italy

    Alfio Ferlito

Authors
  1. Andrés Coca-Pelaz
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  2. Robert P. Takes
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  6. Carol R. Bradford
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  7. Remco de Bree
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  8. Primož Strojan
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  9. Valerie J. Lund
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  10. William M. Mendenhall
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  11. Iain J. Nixon
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  12. Miquel Quer
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  13. Alessandra Rinaldo
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  14. Alfio Ferlito
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrés Coca-Pelaz.

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Coca-Pelaz, A., Takes, R.P., Hutcheson, K. et al. Head and Neck Cancer: A Review of the Impact of Treatment Delay on Outcome. Adv Ther 35, 153–160 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-018-0663-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-018-0663-7

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