title: NED survival in head and neck cancer (post-mortem correlations).
abstract: A common feature of reporting head and neck squamous cancer statistics in recent years has been to consider patients dying with no evident disease (NED) as successfully treated. We present two patients who died with no clinically evident squamous cancer and who could therefore have been reported as cured but for autopsy findings which showed significant distant spread. These findings are supported by several reports of distant metastases in squamous head and neck cancer and it is suggested that rates of post-mortem examinations be included in survival figures in the future.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Narula
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Padfield
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: MacLennan
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Bradley
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001344:Autopsy; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis