title: Management of the neck in patients with head and neck cancer treated by concurrent chemotherapy and radiation.
abstract: The current high level of interest in organ preservation strategies for patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck undoubtedly will result in increasing numbers of patients managed initially with chemotherapy and radiation, either sequentially or concurrently. In some protocols, surgery, and neck dissection in particular, will either be mandatory or offered based on the degree of response to treatment and initial stage of neck disease. Head and neck oncologic surgeons need to be involved and at the forefront of such trials, to allow meaningful data regarding pathologic response to treatment to be obtained, as well as to define the role of surgery in such patients. Although present data is limited, it would appear that in patients achieving a complete response to chemoradiation, the role of neck dissection may be more limited than in the past, even for patients with N2 to N3 neck disease at presentation. Surgical complications may be increased in this heavily treated patient population, and subsequent surgery should be designed to minimize the risk of wound complications, especially if performed before the patient has made a full recovery from the metabolic and immunologic derangements associated with chemoradiation. Head and neck surgeons need to play an active role in the design and conduct of chemoradiation trials so that these and other relevant questions will be answered by the data generated.
authors.affiliation: Division of Otolaryngology, University of California Medical Center at San Diego, 92103-8891, USA.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Weisman
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Robbins
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision / Q000009:adverse effects; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D009333:Neck; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012074:Remission Induction; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents