Follow-Up Phone Interviews and Attendance Motivation From A Free Head and Neck Cancer Screening

Head and Neck Cancer Awareness and Screening Programs (HNCASP) are popular community outreach events hosted by academic and community otolaryngology departments. However, long-term follow-up of participants is lacking.

Participants of a HNCASP held at an academic cancer center prospectively filled out demographic and risk factor surveys followed by HNC screening examination. A phone interview was conducted for participants between 2012 and 2016 with suspicious findings to assess outcomes.

Participants were largely Caucasian, female, and had health insurance, reflecting the setting at an academic medical center. Despite this, there were 156 (16.8%) positive screenings; 47 of these completed follow up interviews. Twelve (1.1% of all participants) cancer cases were confirmed.

A significant proportion of HNCASP participants benefited from this screening opportunity. Education regarding HNC is the primary benefit and motivational factor for attendance of HNCASPs, although a significant subset of patients was identified that needed follow-up, and several cancers were detected.