Cancers of the head and neck make up about 4% of all cancers diagnosed in the United States. Although cancers of the head and neck are not the most common cancers, there is a high frequency, severity, and complexity of needs experienced by persons diagnosed and treated for head and neck cancer. Medical management of head and neck cancer includes a combination of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy treatments, which can result in a multitude of impairments in body function and structure, contributing to activity limitations, participation restrictions, and reduced health related quality of life.
This one-day educational session will review the medical management of head and neck cancer and associated side effects, along with the evaluation and treatment of neck dysfunction, temporomandibular dysfunction/trismus, and shoulder dysfunction/spinal accessory neuropathy. This educational session will include lecture, demonstration, hands-on or lab activities, and group discussion. A focus will be to provide the best available evidence for addressing the rehabilitation needs of survivors of head and neck cancer.
