Head and Neck Cancer (Radiation Medicine Rounds)

This issue of Radiation Medicine Rounds examines the latest advances in the use of radiation medicine in treatment of head and neck cancer. Head and neck cancer treatment has undergone major change over the course of the past few years and Head and Neck Cancer addresses current best practices in the light of the most recent evidence.

Head and Neck Cancer addresses a wide range of topics under the broad heading of head and neck oncology. In the initial section, the authors address therapeutic approaches with chapters on current and future treatments. Coverage is extensive and includes articles on IMRT, combined modality treatments, the use of targeted agents in conjunction with chemotherapy, the use of transoral robotic surgery followed by postoperative radiation therapy, and the use of particle therapy. The second section addresses issues of health services and covers palliative care, how to assess toxicity in patients, and issues of interpreting and integrating classic study data into treatment decisions. The third section examines the factors influencing clinical decisions ranging including biomarkers and image guidance. .

• In-depth, up-to-date expert reviews and analysis of major new developments in all areas of Radiation Medicine
• Each issue edited by an authority in that subject area
• Each issue focused on a single major topic in Radiation Medicine, providing coverage of advances in radiation science, radiation medicine technology, radiation medicine practice, and assessment of recent quality and outcome studies

Series Description: Radiation Medicine Rounds is a review series providing a thorough analysis of new scientific, technologic, and clinical advances in all areas of radiation medicine. There will be an emphasis throughout on multidisciplinary approaches to the specialty, as well as an emphasis on quality and outcomes analysis. The goal is to provide authoritative, thorough assessment of a wide range of "hot topics" and emerging new data for the entire specialty of radiation medicine.

Dwight E. Heron, MD, MBA, FACRO, FACR, Chairman, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Shadyside, Professor of Radiation Oncology, Otolaryngology, and Head and Neck Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA

Roy B. Tishler, MD, Disease Center Leader, Head and Neck Radiation Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Center, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital