Work-up, evaluation, and treatment planning in patients with head and neck cancer

The patient with head and neck cancer requires the recording of a full history and physical examination and a complete evaluation of the local disease; the local findings are viewed against the general medical background. In order to arrive at the optimal treatment, the findings should be reviewed fully at an interdisciplinary conference. In the light of these discussions the responsible team should develop a treatment plan, in concert with the patient and his family whenever possible. The treatment selected should offer the patient the best opportunity for cure, expose him to the last morbidity and expense, and leave him with the most options in the event of a failure. In the early stages of the disease the tendency to overtreat must be avoided.