Essentials of Head and Neck Cancer

In recent times, there has been a tremendous increase in our knowledge and understanding of the molecular mechanisms, genetic and epigenetic interactions, and epidemiological and aetiopathogenic factors involved in the development, progression and metastatic spread of head and neck cancers (HNCs). Improvements in diagnostics and imaging techniques, advancements in various treatment modalities, and incorporation of quality-of-life and functional outcomes in HNCs have also significantly influenced the management and outcomes of the disease. This book brings together a broad, comprehensive and balanced view of current approaches to the multidisciplinary management and underlying biology of HNCs. It covers a wide range of exciting new findings in both the clinical and the basic sciences relevant to HNC. International experts in surgical, medical and radiation oncology and the basic sciences have contributed authoritative overviews of the current status and new frontiers in the management of HNCs. The multidisciplinary scope of this book provides the necessary grounding for residents, otolaryngologists and head and neck surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists and allied specialists involved in the management of HNCs.

ALBERTO STAFFIERI is Full Professor of Otolaryngology and the Chairman of the ENT Clinic of the University of Padova School of Medicine since 1997. His special interests include head and neck oncology, laryngeal reconstructive surgery, voice rehabilitation after laryngectomy, and rhinology. He has been a founder member of the European Study Group for Rehabilitation and Functional Surgery following Laryngectomy (EGFL) since 1991 and past President of the Group. Professor Staffieri has authored/co-authored about 450 articles in national and international journals. He served as Editor-in-Chief of Acta Otorhinolaryngologica Italica, the official publication of the Italian Otorhinolaryngological Society.

PAUL SEBASTIAN is the Director of the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC), Thiruvananthapuram, India and is a professor of Surgical Oncology and head of the Head and Neck Service at RCC. Dr Sebastian has been instrumental in developing RCC as a major centre for teaching and training in oncology. His research interests include prevention of head and neck cancers, aetiology of oral cancer in young patients, and development of simple, low-cost treatment strategies for head and neck cancers suitable for countries with limited resources. He has published 52 peer-reviewed publications in indexed journals.

MADAN KAPRE, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and trained to the grade of consultant in Trent Region, UK, is the director of Neeti Clinics, a tertiary referral centre for head and neck cancers and Honorary Surgeon at the Regional Cancer Research Centre in Nagpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. He has to his credit original research work in oral submucous fibrosis, and has designed his own surgical procedure for this condition. His work in thyroid cancer at Melghat hills, a tribal belt, has received worldwide recognition. His Atlas on thyroid surgery is a reference guide.

BIPIN T. VARGHESE is an accomplished head and neck oncosurgeon and Additional Professor of Surgical Oncology at the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC), Thiruvananthapuram, India. His special interests include reconstructive microsurgery, voice preservation and restoration following laryngectomy, and skull base surgery. He has been trained at Canniesburn Hospital, Glasgow, UK; the Netherlands Cancer Centre, Amsterdam; MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA; and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, USA with the support of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), USA. He has 28 publications in Pubmed indexed journals and has undertaken several research projects.

REHAN KAZI has trained and worked at the best cancer centres in the world, such as the Royal Marsden Hospital, UK; Institute of Cancer Research, UK; and Maria Sklodowska Curie Memorial Institute, Poland. Winner of the 2006 Byers' Award from the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) for his PhD work, he is currently involved in newer research on quality of life, functional outcomes and their implications in head and neck cancer using subjective and objective methods.