Diagnosis of head and neck cancer

The diagnosis of cancer of the head and neck may at times be obvious on clinical presentation. In certain situations, however, this may be a dilemma for the clinician and the pathologist. In addition to establishing a pathologic diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, the work-up of these patients aims at delineating the exact extent of disease. This has important therapeutic and prognostic implications. This review will outline the diagnostic steps in head and neck cancer patients. These include a thorough history and physical examination, laboratory evaluation, imaging modalities, endoscopic biopsy and fine needle aspiration.