Head and neck cancer surveillance: A guide past the five-year mark

A head and neck cancer patient has completed treatment and five-year surveillance with their oncologists and surgeons and has been discharged back into your care. What is next and what do you not want to miss in this patient? This article aims to provide the general practitioner with a practical guide and an up-to-date evidence-based review on how to manage the head and neck cancer survivor. Attentive surveillance encompassing risk stratification and guidance, early detection of recurrence and second malignancies, effective management of chronic symptoms and the provision of psychosocial support are fundamental in providing a holistic and comprehensive care plan for the head and neck cancer survivor.