Guideline

Cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract: assessment and management in people aged 16 and over

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Last updated:5th Jun 2018

Source: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

Cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract: assessment and management in people aged 16 and over - National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

This guideline covers assessing and managing cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract in people aged 16 and over. These are cancers of the airways of the head and neck, including the mouth, throat, larynx (voicebox) and sinuses. It aims to reduce variation in practice and improve survival.

A table of NHS England interim treatment regimens gives possible alternative treatment options for use during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce infection risk. This may affect decisions for patients with cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract. See the COVID-19 rapid guideline: delivery of systemic anticancer treatments for more details.

In June 2018, we reviewed the evidence for treating advanced cancer and added recommendations on using FDG PET-CT scans to inform decisions about surgery after radical chemoradiotherapy.

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