Douglas E. Peterson, DMD, PhD

Management of patients who have head and neck cancer necessitates a multidisciplinary approach.[1,2] Comprehensive care must be initiated prior to therapy, maintained throughout course of treatment, and systematically coordinated for the rest of the patient’s life. As Dwyer and Minasian note, a multidisciplinary team that includes dental professionals, a speech/language pathologist, and a registered dietician is best suited for this complex management challenge. These individuals, working in conjunction with physicians, nurses, and other professionals, can provide patients with key preventive and therapeutic supportive care interventions.