Head and neck cancer manpower study

1. Approximately 40,000 cases of cancer of the head and neck (excluding skin) are diagnosed each year. 2. Approximately 20,000 of these cases and 30,000 cases of skin cancer are treated by 366 head and neck cancer surgeons. 3. Ninety per cent of the cases are treated by 63 per cent of the surgeons. 4. Fifty-eight per cent of the surgeons care for between 50 and 300 cases per year. 5. While 2,759 new board-certified surgeons of all specialties are recruited annually to maintain a work force of 46,000 board-certified surgeons (3), apparently 730 potential head and neck cancer surgeons are being prepared to maintain a work force of approximately 450 head and neck cancer surgeons. 6. These findings indicate the need for in-depth study of the manpower needs in head and neck cancer surgery by all who are responsible for the training of surgeons in this field.