A Brief Description of the Aims and Objectives

Head and neck oncology – especially the surgical part – is one of the most challenging fields within surgical oncology.

The immediate demand for reconstructing function and aesthetic requires often highly educated and trained surgical staff, in some cases interdisciplinary collaboration between specialities, working on the head and neck. The operations often results transient or permanent limitations in various, important fuctions

Postoperative pain, speech-ability chewing and swallowing are major, QOL influencing factors. Besides the surgical or/and chemoradiation therapy of these malignancies, attention should be paid to maintain or recover this functions as far as it is possible.

Careful evalutaion of these functions are essential after radical operations to provide better QOL as soon as possible for detecting the disability and to start early with the rehabilitation.

Nevertheless rehabilitation is not only functional or aesthetic demand but a psycyical too.

Because the above mentioned causes, the evaluation of pre- and posttreatment QOL is essential topic in oncology. Standardized evaluation scales are available, wich helps to compare the results of various comprehensive centres for oncology.

Such articles are usefull for young but also for experienced colleagues to „look behind the scalpel” and so to be more accurate in planning the oncological treatment. Radicality often results a more worse QOL then a stabilized, chronic, tumorous condition