NICE has now published its updated head and neck cancer guideline. The update was prompted by Professor Hisham Mehanna’s research study PET-NECK. This study investigated the potential of monitoring patients using FDG PET-CT scans to assess lymph node involvement rather than carrying out an automatic neck dissection.
Professor Mehanna and his team deserve congratulations on their practice-changing study which spare patients from unnecessary surgery.
NALC, as it has done for every NICE committee on head and neck cancer, provided the lay members of the committee.