[Clinical and paraclinical follow-up after radiotherapy for head and neck cancer]

Abstract

Head and neck cancer management often involves heavy multimodal treatments including radiotherapy. Despite the improvement of intensity-modulated radiation therapy, acute and late toxicities remain important. After such treatment, patients have to face different potential problems, depending on the post-therapeutic delay. In this way, short-term follow-up permits to appreciate the healing of acute toxicities and response to treatment. Long-term follow-up aims to recognize second primitive tumours and distant failure, and to detect and manage late toxicities. Medical and psychosocial supportive cares are essential, even after several years of complete remission. The objective of this article is to review the modalities of short-term and long-term follow-up of patients who receive a radiotherapy for head and neck cancer.

Keywords: Cancer des voies aérodigestives supérieures; Follow-up; Head and neck cancer; Intensity-modulated radiation therapy; Late toxicity; Radiotherapy; Radiothérapie; Radiothérapie conformationnelle avec modulation d’intensité; Suivi; Toxicité tardive.