Treatment modalities, surgical principles, and rehabilitation considerations in head and neck cancer
Book Chapter
Samarah, H, Crawley, MB, Young, GD. (2024). Treatment modalities, surgical principles, and rehabilitation considerations in head and neck cancer
. 39-62. 10.1016/B978-0-443-11806-7.00015-1
Samarah, H, Crawley, MB, Young, GD. (2024). Treatment modalities, surgical principles, and rehabilitation considerations in head and neck cancer
. 39-62. 10.1016/B978-0-443-11806-7.00015-1
In 1905, George Crile published a landmark paper presenting an astonishing 3-year survival rate of 75% in patients who underwent block resection of head and neck tumors (HNTs) compared with only 19% in those who did not. Crile's work was based on his insight that tumors of the head and neck typically do not metastasize to distant sites and primarily drain through the neck's lymphatic pathways. Within this paradigm, this makes HNTs potentially curable through resection of the primary tumor and its associated lymph nodes. The surgical principles pioneered by Crile were later reinforced in 1951 by Dr. Hayes Martin and colleagues in a paper titled, “Neck dissection.” This work solidified Crile's legacy by emphasizing strict adherence to the principles of block dissection in head and neck surgery. Although nonsurgical treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy have emerged, surgical resection remains an important standard of care for the vast majority of head and neck cancers (HNCs) and will likely remain an important treatment modality.
