Critical Issues in Head and Neck Oncology: Key Concepts from the Sixth THNO Meeting

Review by P J Bradley
Nottingham, UK

This book comprises a compilation of selected presentations by the faculty members of the Sixth Trends in Head and Neck Oncology (‘THNO-6’) Meeting, which took place in Nice, France, in November 2017. This publication, in a book form, was released during 2018 (within one year following the meeting). This reviewer missed the announcement of its publication in 2018.

The chapters are authored by a ‘who’s who’ in head and neck oncology, including epidemiologists, surgeons, radiation oncologists and histopathologists; most authors (19) are from Europe, with four contributions from North America (USA and Canada). The book is divided into 7 parts, covering epidemiology and diagnosis, prediction of outcome, oral cavity, oropharynx, cancer, miscellaneous topics, and thyroid cancer, with a keynote address (on immunotherapy in head and neck cancer), with 23 topics covered in total. The volume is some 352 pages long, with tables and illustrations, each with comprehensive, up-to-date, extensive supportive references, and with a 7-page index. This reviewer was impressed with the report by Moskovitz and Ferris (from Pittsburgh, USA) on the future application of immunotherapy for advanced and recurrent head and neck cancer; only time will tell regard- ing its effectiveness.

This book demonstrates what a dedicated group of clinicians, with support from a publisher, can achieve in the short period of time (less than 12 months) it has taken to write, edit, proof-edit, print and put onto the shelves this ‘state of the art’ publication on head and neck oncology. This book should be a delight to read for the busy head and neck oncological clinician, who values their free time available to ‘trawl through’ the many journals, seeking information on ‘modern and future ways’ to treat patients with head and neck cancer.

This book should be essential reading for experienced clinicians working within multidisciplinary clinics ‘world- wide’, to update where we are and where we are likely to progress in the next decade. The Seventh Trends in Head and Neck Oncology Meeting has already been organised, for 7–9 November 2019, in Athens, Greece (www.thno2019.org).

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