The 2-week rule for suspected head and neck cancer in the United Kingdom: referral patterns, diagnostic efficacy of the guidelines and compliance

Co-existent comorbidity is a major determinant of treatment outcome in head and neck cancer. Most of the work pertaining to this topic has been done in the United States, where the standard practice is for trained cancer registrars to grade comorbidity using validated indexes by retrospective notes review. The adult comorbidity evaluation – 27 index (ACE-27) is a validated instrument that has been widely used in head and neck cancer. Although the required clinical data may be available in the notes, a significant amount of historical information is required to grade comorbidity. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy and inter-rater reliability of the retrospective notes review process, in a typical setting in the United Kingdom (UK), by comparing the information obtained on notes review alone by a physician to that available after a structured patient interview. The study concludes that the retrospective notes review is an accurate and reliable technique for grading comorbidity whose completeness can be improved by the use of patient questionnaire as part of a structured interview.

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Organisation and provision of head and neck cancer surgical services in the United Kingdom: United Kingdom National Multidisciplinary Guidelines

The Journal of Laryngology & Otology ◽

10.1017/s0022215116000839 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 130 (S2) ◽

pp. S5-S8 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

F Stafford ◽

K Ah-See ◽

M Fardy ◽

K Fell

Keyword(s):

Head And Neck Cancer ◽

United Kingdom ◽

Head And Neck ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Neck Cancer ◽

Surgical Specialty ◽

Surgical Services ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

Current State ◽

The Uk

AbstractThis is the official guideline endorsed by the surgical specialty associations involved in the care of head and neck cancer patients in the UK. This paper summarises the current state of play in the organisation and provision of head and neck cancer surgical services in the UK.

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Head and neck cancer in the United Kingdom: the current documents

Clinical Otolaryngology ◽

10.1111/j.1365-2273.2005.01063.x ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 30 (5) ◽

pp. 452-457 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

P.J. Bradley ◽

K. Mackenzie

Keyword(s):

Head And Neck Cancer ◽

United Kingdom ◽

Head And Neck ◽

Neck Cancer ◽

The United Kingdom

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Applicability of the adult comorbidity evaluation – 27 and the Charlson indexes to assess comorbidity by notes extraction in a cohort of United Kingdom patients with head and neck cancer: a retrospective study

The Journal of Laryngology & Otology ◽

10.1258/0022215021910528 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 116 (3) ◽

pp. 200-205 ◽

Cited By ~ 48

Author(s):

V. Paleri ◽

R. G. Wight

Keyword(s):

Head And Neck Cancer ◽

United Kingdom ◽

Head And Neck ◽

Neck Cancer ◽

Patient Questionnaire ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

Assessment Visit ◽

Comorbidity Burden ◽

Retrospective Data Collection ◽

Comorbidity Index

The term comorbidity stands for disease processes that co-exist and are not related to the index disease being studied. Comorbidity in cancer has been shown to be a major determinant in treatment selection and survival. Patients with head and neck cancer can have significant comorbidity owing to the high incidence of tobacco and alcohol abuse. No studies to date have addressed this problem in head and neck cancer patients in the United Kingdom. The applicability of the adult comorbidity evaluation – 27 index (ACE-27) and the Charlson index (CI) to assess the comorbidity burden by retrospective notes review is studied here. Retrospective data collection and completion of a comorbidity index in a United Kingdom setting is feasible. We conclude that the pre-assessment visit is a useful time to record comorbidity and as a significant amount of information required for grading relates to historical items, this is best done using a self-administered patient questionnaire.

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