BACKGROUND Radiotherapy-induced trismus (RTIT) is a debilitating condition without any proven effective treatment. This study investigates the effectiveness of prophylactic training to prevent RTIT during and up to 12 months after completed RT in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC), also investigating the incidence of RTIT. METHODS Sixty-six consecutive patients from two RT clinics in Sw...

Advanced technology in the USA is, in part, responsible for driving improvements in cancer care outcomes but also steep increases in the cost of cancer care delivery [1–3]. Whether or not the US healthcare system delivers highvalue care, which is defined as the quality of health outcomes divided by the cost of achieving those outcomes, is controversial. Despite much emphasis on comparative effe...

Background HNC is the sixth most common type of cancer in Europe, with over 150,000 new cases in 2012. It is usually recognized at an advanced clinical stage, when the survival rate is remarkably lower, compared to patients diagnosed early. Main risk factors, tobacco and alcohol use, are usually present in young people, thus health education in this group is crucial. The aim of our study was to...

The usefulness of dental approaches, such as oral management, has gained recognition among patients treated for head and neck cancer. In particular, oral management plays a very important role before, during, and after treatment in patients undergoing radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of both. However, specialized dentistry knowledge and techniques that are useful for patients underg...

The indications of nutrition support in cancer patients have been subject to controversy. Most studies address the effects of the method in increasing the survival or the tumor response rate. Few studies have focused on the effects in improving quality of life. After a brief review, we described the results of a study, which evaluated the effects of protein-caloric supplementation on the qualit...

Introduction 34 Principles of chemotherapy 34 Principles of tumour biology 34 Classification of chemotherapeutic agents 37 Limitations of cytotoxic agents 40 Chemotherapy in head and neck cancer 40 Choice of chemotherapy in head and neck cancer 40 Chemotherapy strategies 40 Novel therapies for the future 41 Other novel treatments 44 Conclusion 44 Key points 45 Deficiencies in current knowledge ...

Rapid advances in the ability to produce nanoparticles of uniform size, shape, and composition have started a revolution in the sciences. Nano-sized structures herald innovative technology with a wide range of potential therapeutic and diagnostic applications. More than 1000 nanostructures have been reported, many with potential medical applications, such as metallic-, dielectric-, magnetic-, l...

Multidisciplinary teams of clinicians manage patients with head and neck cancer in the UK. The lead clinician for any particular patient is likely to be either a surgeon or an oncologist but they rely on the skills of many health care professionals for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. This paper outlines the role of the surgeon within the head and neck cancer team, their key tasks and ...

We read with great interest the recent article on Public Awareness of Head and Neck Cancer by O’Connor Papanikolaou & Keogh (2010) 1 . Firstly, we would like to commend the authors for highlighting this important issue. The low public awareness of HNC and its associated risk factors continues to hamper efforts to reduce the morbidity and mortality of this disease both nationally and internati...

Background. Our objective was to develop and examine the psychometric properties of the Satisfaction With Cancer Information Profile (SCIP), a new measure designed to assess the extent to which patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) are satisfied with information received about their treat-