UK guidelines advocate ‘one-stop’ neck lump assessment for cancer referrals. This paper reports the pilot of a novel pre-clinic ultrasound pathway, presents outcomes, and discusses strengths and limitations in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Two-week-wait cancer referral patients with a neck lump were allocated a pre-clinic ultrasound scan followed by a clinic appointment. Demographic, patient journey and outcome data were collected and analysed.

Ninety-nine patients underwent ultrasound assessment with or without biopsy on average 8 days following referral. Patients were followed up on average 14.1 days (range, 2–26 days) after initial referral. At the first clinic appointment, 45 patients were discharged, 10 were scheduled for surgery, 12 were diagnosed with cancer, 6 were referred to another specialty and cancer was excluded in 19 patients. Retrospectively, four ultrasounds were performed unnecessarily.

Pre-clinic ultrasound scanning is an alternative to the one-stop neck lump pathway. This study demonstrates fewer clinic visits, faster diagnosis and a low proportion of unnecessary scans, whilst minimising face-to-face consultations and aerosol-generating procedures.

In adults, the solitary lateral cystic neck mass remains a diagnostic challenge with little solid material to target for cytology and few clues on imaging modalities to suggest underlying malignancy.

This study was a retrospective review of patients presenting with a lateral cystic neck mass to a tertiary academic head and neck centre over a 10-year period.

A total of 25 of 157 cystic lesions were subsequently malignant on paraffin section histopathology, with the youngest patient being 42 years. In the age cohort over 40 years, 30 per cent of males and 10 per cent of females were diagnosed with malignancy. The ipsilateral palatine tonsil was the most common primary site (50 per cent). A total of 85 per cent of cases demonstrated integrated human papillomavirus infection. Age, male sex and alcohol were significant risk factors on univariate analysis. Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology and magnetic resonance imaging represented the most accurate pre-open biopsy tests.

The authors of this study advocate for a risk-stratified, evidence-based workup in patients with solitary lateral cystic neck mass in order to optimise timely diagnosis.

There is currently no consensus on the ideal protocol of imaging for post-treatment surveillance of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. This study aimed to consolidate existing evidence on the diagnostic effectiveness of positron emission tomography-computed tomography versus magnetic resonance imaging.

Systematic electronic searches were conducted using Medline, Embase and Cochrane Library (updated February 2021) to identify studies directly comparing positron emission tomography-computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans for detecting locoregional recurrence or residual disease for post-treatment surveillance.

Searches identified 3164 unique records, with three studies included for meta-analysis, comprising 176 patients. The weighted pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity for scans performed three to six months post-curative treatment were: positron emission tomography-computed tomography, 0.68 (95 per cent confidence interval, 0.49–0.84) and 0.89 (95 per cent confidence interval, 0.84–0.93); magnetic resonance imaging, 0.72 (95 per cent confidence interval, 0.54–0.88) and 0.85 (95 per cent confidence interval, 0.79–0.89), respectively.

Existing studies do not provide evidence for superiority of either positron emission tomography-computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging in detecting locoregional recurrence or residual disease following curative treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

To evaluate the impact of early intervention using combined swallow therapy, consisting of traditional swallow exercises and transcutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation, on patients with advanced oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

A cohort study of 60 prospectively enrolled patients was performed. Thirty patients with advanced oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma starting combined swallow therapy two weeks after surgery that continued throughout chemoradiotherapy were compared with a matched cohort of 30 patients starting combined swallow therapy after cancer treatment completion. Gastrostomy tube status, modified barium swallow, and Functional Oral Intake Scale scores were assessed before and after therapy.

Both cohorts demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in Functional Oral Intake Scale scores. All patients in the early intervention cohort discontinued gastrostomy tube use, compared with one-third in the control cohort, with greater improvements in Functional Oral Intake Scale scores. The tongue base was the site of greatest improvement in the early intervention group.

Early initiation of combined swallow therapy may optimise swallow outcomes in patients with advanced oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of computed tomography and positron emission tomography-computed tomography prior to salvage surgery after head and neck carcinoma treated with bioradiotherapy and to look at the role of neck dissection in this setting.

This study was a retrospective chart review of a series of consecutive patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treated with bioradiotherapy. Radiological and pathological stages were compared to evaluate the accuracy of computed tomography and positron emission tomography-computed tomography in detecting occult neck metastasis in the context of recurrence of primary tumour. In order to assess the impact of neck dissection on survival, Kaplan–Meier survival curves after salvage surgery with and without neck dissection were derived.

A total of 268 patients were identified, of which 22 underwent salvage surgery. The negative predictive value of computed tomography and positron emission tomography-computed tomography was excellent. Neck dissection did not represent an improvement on overall, disease specific and regional recurrence free survival (p = 0.67, p = 0.91 and p = 0.62, respectively) amongst clinically and radiologically negative necks.

Conservative treatment of the neck should be considered when dealing with patients with primary site recurrence or persistent disease after bioradiotherapy without evidence of neck disease.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic requires urgent modification to existing head and neck cancer diagnosis and management practices. A protocol was established that utilises risk stratification, early investigation prior to clinical review and a reduction in aerosol generating procedures to lessen the risk of coronavirus disease 2019 spread.

Two-week wait referrals were stratified into low, intermediate and high risk. Low risk patients were referred back to primary care with advice; intermediate and high risk patients underwent investigation. Clinical encounters and aerosol generating procedures were minimised. A combined diagnostic and therapeutic surgical approach was undertaken where possible.

Forty-one patients were used to assess feasibility. Thirty-one per cent were low risk, 35 per cent were intermediate and 33 per cent were high risk. Thirty-three per cent were discharged with no imaging.

Implementing this protocol reduces the future burden on tertiary services, by empowering primary care physicians to re-refer low risk patients. The protocol is applicable across the UK and avoids diagnostic delay.

Patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia are at an elevated risk of further malignancy. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma often presents with cervical lymph node metastasis, and can pose a diagnostic challenge in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukaemia who may have pre-existing palpable neck nodes.

A retrospective case review of a health board was conducted to identify patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with a previous diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

Four patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma that developed after non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukaemia were identified. Two patients had a background of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma treated with chemotherapy. The remaining two patients had a background of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia under active surveillance. Three out of the four patients died within 30 months of diagnosis.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma following non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukaemia is aggressive. A heightened clinical suspicion is essential to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in patients with dual pathology.

This study aimed to highlight the key studies that have led to the current understanding and treatment of head and neck cancer.

The Thomson Reuters Web of Science database was used to identify relevant manuscripts. The results were ranked according to the number of citations. The 100 most cited papers were analysed.

A total of 63 538 eligible papers were returned. The median number of citations was 626. The most cited paper compared radiotherapy with and without cetuximab (3205 citations). The New England Journal of Medicine had the most citations (23 514), and the USA had the greatest number of publications (n = 66). The most common topics of publication were the treatment (n = 45) and basic science (n = 19) of head and neck cancer, followed by the role of human papillomavirus (n = 16).

This analysis highlighted key articles that influenced head and neck cancer research and treatment. It serves as a guide as to what makes a ‘citable’ paper in this field.