What cases go to tumor board?

A:A tumor board is a meeting made up of specialized doctors and other health care providers who regularly gather to discuss cancer cases that are unusual and/or challenging.

What type of carcinoma is the most common head and neck malignancy?

Most head and neck cancers are squamous cell carcinomas. This type of cancer begins in the flat squamous cells that make up the thin layer of tissue on the surface of the structures in the head and neck.

How often do tumor boards meet?

Key Points. Tumor board participation was high among cancer care providers, with 96% routinely participated in some kind of tumor board meeting, and 54% doing so weekly.

What happens at a tumor board?

A treatment planning approach in which a number of doctors who are experts in different specialties (disciplines) review and discuss the medical condition and treatment options of a patient.

Are neck cancers curable?

How head and neck cancer is treated. Many cancers of the head and neck can be cured, especially if they are found early. Although eliminating the cancer is the primary goal of treatment, preserving the function of the nearby nerves, organs, and tissues is also very important.

Can you survive stage 4 head and neck cancer?

For a patient with stage IV cancer, age must also be considered to prognose survival. For a patient who is 67 years or older, the expected median survival is a little more than 1 year. If this patient were younger than 67 years, then the expected median survival would be about 2 years.

How long can you live with untreated head and neck cancer?

Approximately 50% of untreated head and neck cancer patients will die within 4 months of their diagnosis. However, the remaining patients can survive up to 4 or more years, depending on their tumour location, extent, performance status and level of supportive care.

Where is the most common head and neck tumor located?

Probably about 90 to 95 percent of all head and neck cancers are squamous cell cancers. They usually start at a primary site, somewhere in the upper aerodigestive tract. This includes anywhere from the lips, to the back of the throat, to the upper esophagus, to the trachea.

What does a hospital tumor board do?

A tumor board is a group of doctors and other health care providers with different specialties that meets regularly at the hospital to discuss cancer cases and share knowledge. The board’s goal is to determine the best possible cancer treatment and care plan for an individual patient.

What is head and neck tumor board?

Head and Neck Tumor Board (Multidisciplinary Treatment Planning Conference) A regularly scheduled formal meeting between physicians who manage cancer patients is useful to ensure that the highest level of care is maintained. These multidisciplinary treatment planning conferences (tumor boards) may be constructed through one of several approaches.

Does the multidisciplinary tumor board improve survival in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma?

Objectives/hypothesis: Although the multidisciplinary tumor board (MTB) is accepted as best practice for the management of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), there is limited evidence showing its impact on survival.

What is a tumor board in a hospital?

Head and Neck Tumor Board (Multidisciplinary Treatment Planning Conference) A physician (staff, fellow, or resident) evaluates a patient during the week before the tumor board and dictates composes a “tumor board note,” on the electronic medical record which includes a brief history and physical exam including information about diagnostic studies.

How does the head and neck fellow record the final disposition?

The head and neck fellow or staff physician records the final disposition with alternatives on tumor board notes. The staff or fellow physicians contact individual patients by phone to discuss tumor board findings and arrange final disposition.