Patients with head or neck cancer should be treated at specialist centres

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued guidelines on the treatment of patients with rare cancers of the head and neck. The guidelines, based on research conducted by the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, advise that treatment should be centred at specialised cancer centres serving populations of over a million, where multidisciplinary teams will be responsible for all stages of the treatment process, including diagnosis and rehabilitation.

Head and neck cancers are not common and encompasses a range of conditions located at some 30 sites around the head and neck. Some, …