In the U.S. this year more than 55,000 Americans will develop cancer of the head and neck and nearly 13,000 of them will die from it. If caught early, most of these cancers are highly treatable, but despite treatment, patients remain at risk for developing secondary malignancies.

A new study presented at the 2007 AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO revealed new insights into the onset and survival of patients who develop head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) after being treated for lymphoma.

The study evaluated the length of time it took patients being treated for lymphoma to develop a second cancer of the head and neck. It also compared two groups of cancer patients - one group who developed head and neck cancer as their first and only cancer and another group that developed head and neck cancer after being treated for lymphoma (Hodgkin’s lymphoma or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma).

Findings showed that patients developing HNSCC as a second malignancy tended to develop it within six years of a lymphoma diagnosis. The study also indicated that individuals who developed head and neck cancer as a second cancer after being treated for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma did not live as long as those who developed head and neck cancer after being treated for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. These results may lead to more affective counseling according to prognosis.

Title: Survival for Head and Neck Cancer after Lymphoma
Authors: Michael Moore, MD and Neil Bhattacharyya, MD
Date: Sunday, September 16, 10:32 am – 10:40 am

Information for the Media
The AAO-HNS Annual Meeting newsroom will be located in Registration East, Street Level of the Washington, DC Convention Center. Hours of operation: Saturday, September 15, 12 pm to 5 pm; Sunday - Tuesday, September 16 -18, 7:30 am to 5 pm; and Wednesday, September 19, 7:30 am to 2 pm. The newsroom serves as a work space for credentialed members of the media and credentialed public relations staff.

Source: American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (AAOHNS)