Integrative care of the patient with head and neck cancer

Abstract

ObjectiveTo review the literature on integrative care of the patient with head and neck cancer.MethodsA review of the English language literature for articles relating to integrative care of patients with head and neck cancer, focusing on treatment of sequelae of surgery and chemoradiation.ResultsMany studies show a significant utilization of nontraditional (complementary/integrative) treatments by patients in dealing with head and neck cancer. Treatment of head and neck cancer entails potentially debilitating consequences of surgery and/or chemoradiation on cosmesis, speech, swallowing, breathing, and quality of life. While complementary/integrative treatments for head and neck cancer are not established as effective therapies, their use for relieving sequelae of treatment, improving quality of life, and providing potential chemoprevention is well documented.ConclusionGiven the landscape of increasing use of nontraditional methodologies by patients with head and neck cancer and the complexity of care, the head and neck cancer surgeon should be aware of the uses and abuses of complementary/integrative medicine by patients as they navigate their care.Level of Evidence5

Acupuncture for radiation-induced toxicity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review based on PICO criteria

“…Overall, the results of our study reinforce the notion that acupuncture is feasible in conjunction with anti-cancer treatment even if intensive as concurrent chemo-radiation can be, being associated with a very favorable toxicity profile. As reflected by our data, there's increasing interest in applying acupuncture in head and neck cancer [38,72,85]. Although a detailed description is not within the scope of this work, our findings indirectly confirm the shortcomings bound with performing clinical research in the field of acupuncture [50,[86][87][88].…”