Over 12,000 patients are diagnosed with head and neck cancer across the UK every year. Alcohol and tobacco use have long been established as primary risk factors for the development of these cancers. However, there has been a notable increase in the cases of oropharyngeal cancer in recent years, particularly those linked to the oncogenic […]
Polly Darby, John McLellan, Rafael Moleron
Aberdeen Royal Infirmary
Radiotherapy bolus refers to tissue-equivalent material placed on the patient’s external surface that alters the dose delivery to superficial areas, such as skin. It is used commonly in head and neck (H&N) treatments, mainly to boost dose to this region and ensure target volumes delineated by clinicians are receiving the desired levels of dose and […]
Rhys Jenkins
South West Wales Cancer Centre, Singleton Hospital
Head and neck (HN) cancer is the eighth most common cancer in the UK. The incidence is around 12,400 new cases every year and the incidence rate has increased by a fifth in the past 10 years. According to Cancer Research UK, between 43% and 85% of those HN cancers have radiotherapy as part of […]
Victor Shing-Cheung Lee
Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
There are few sub-specialities in radiology where diagnostic and interventional work are so inextricably linked as head and neck ultrasound, where the operator has fine needle aspiration (FNA) and/or core biopsy at their disposal and tissue sampling offers a valuable extension of the diagnostic scan. This hasn’t always been the case. Around a decade ago […]
Dr Ben Stenberg, Dr Andrew McQueen
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Radiotherapy plays an integral role in the treatment of early and locally advanced stage head and neck cancers (HNC). Due to the anatomical location of these tumours and the close proximity to critical structures, the challenge at this tumour site is achieving local control while sparing the organs at risk (OAR), including the spinal cord, […]
Dr Angela Pathmanathan, Dr Teresa Guerrero Urbano
Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital NHS Foundation Trust