Oncologic treatment landscape for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: Treatment infrastructure in German-speaking countries

BACKGROUND: The treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is highly complex and requires a multimodal approach. However, guidelines for the treatment of most forms of HNSCC do not exist in German-speaking countries with the exception of oral cavity cancer. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to describe the current treatment landscape and infrastructure in German-speaking countries.

METHODS: From November 2013 to July 2014, 204 departments of otorhinolaryngology (ORL) in Germany, Austria, and the German-speaking part of Switzerland were contacted and invited to take part in a web-based survey on the treatment of HNSCC. In order to cover the study in its entirety, we published three consecutive papers of which this paper is the first.

RESULTS: In all, 62 treatment centers (30.4 %) participated in the survey. These centers included 21 university hospitals, 16 certified cancer centers, and 35 large centers, which diagnose at least 75 HNSCC patients annually. In 91.9 % of all cases, there were outpatient consultation hours (that were monodisciplinary in 61.4 %). A multidisciplinary tumor board was existent in 98.4 % of the cases. Of 62 ORL departments, 50 had a hospital cancer registry, 41 of 62 conducted oncological studies, and 35 of 62 assessed their patients' quality of life.

CONCLUSION: The infrastructure of the treatment for HNSCC can be considered mostly well-developed and supports interdisciplinary cooperation. Potential improvements can be made regarding the standardization of tumor boards, the participation in clinical trials, and the availability of cancer registries and the data gathered therein.