Survivorship support in head and neck cancer: American Head and Neck Society survey

Background: The value of supporting cancer survivors beyond formal treatment has become increasingly recognized among clinicians who care for patients with head and neck cancer.

Methods: A survey was developed by the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) Survivorship Committee and distributed to members of the AHNS electronically.

Results: The survey was distributed to 1403 AHNS members, with 202 responses (14.4%). Among survivorship topics, respondents were most likely to address detection of recurrence/second primary malignancies (97.5%), dysphagia (93.1%), and thyroid function (90.1%) with their patients; they were least likely to address sleep disturbance/apnea (27.7%) and body and self-image issues (29.7%.) Less than half provide patients with a written treatment summary (43.1%) or follow-up care plan (36.9%).

Conclusions: These results highlight the need for improved survivorship care planning and offer an opportunity for the development of educational and survivorship research in head and neck cancer care.