UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Objective: Most head and neck cancers are treatable and curable if detected early. However many cancers in the head and neck are fairly large and extensive when diagnosed. In spite of the early rapid advances in therapy, early diagnosis still remains the best predictor of survival. Unlike the oral cavity and oropharynx not all the areas in the head and neck permit direct inspection. This is especially true for the regions like nasopharynx, hypopharynx, and the larynx. It is these areas that shelter and nurture malignancies allowing them to be hidden for variable periods of time. Of the milestones that have emerged in the present diagnostic era, endoscopy in the head and neck region has evolved as a single catalytic tool in spurring the early diagnosis of malignancy.

Methods: Rigid as well as flexible endoscopes have been used in the diagnostic workup.

Results: Basic goals achieved in endoscopy are; the early detection of a malignant lesion, a more versatile mapping of a lesion for the purpose of documentation, staging and an efficacious treatment planning. It has also paved ways in the search for recurrent, occult, and synchronous lesions. Thus helping us to achieve the fountainhead of a cancer free state.