Quality-of-life (QL) is a relatively new concept in head and neck oncology outcomes research. It is important to have a clear definition and to use reliable and valid measures in its assessment. QL studies should use patient self-reported data and should account for treatment or disease-related symptoms and the domains of physical and psychosocial functioning, together with a patient-rated global QL score. Within head and neck cancer there are very distinct differences between sites. Oral cancer and laryngeal cancer lead to very different QL outcomes. Care must be used when comparing treatments; organ-preservation techniques do not necessarily lead to better QL outcomes, especially in laryngeal cancer. An assessment of life-utility (QALY) may be helpful in determining how meaningful survival is after treatment, and can be used to provide information to purchasers of health care services in support of better resource allocation for head and neck cancer patients.

Nutritional support for HNC patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy is an essential component of patient care. Early PEG insertion and shorter PEG duration are associated with more favourable QOL-related outcomes.

Coronoidectomy is effective at improving trismus refractory to physical therapy in head and neck cancer patients.

More radical resection that may include LTBR mitigates the poorer prognosis with advanced disease in our series. Treatment must be individualized in immunocompromised patients who have shortened overall survival.

We have demonstrated that there is a "learning curve" for neck dissection. Our most experienced surgeon harvested on average 11 more nodes than similar specimens submitted by the group of inexperienced surgeons. The effect of experience remains significant even without adjusting for time (P < .001). Surgical experience also affects clinical outcome months after the dissection. This retrospective review supports surgical volume as an indicator of expertise in neck dissection that could be used to assess trainees' progress and for quality assurance in large head and neck units. Laryngoscope, 2009.