Includes bibliographical references and index

The term “cancer of the head and neck” generally includes neoplasms arising from the mucosa
of the upper aerodigestive tract, including the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, as well as
tumors of the salivary glands, thyroid and parathyroid glands, and neoplasms arising from
the skin, soft tissues, and bones of the craniofacial skeleton. Tumors of neurovascular origin
and those arising in the ear canal, temporal bone, orbit, and skull base are also included in
this list. Over the course of the past century, the specialty treating these tumors has evolved
into a very complex multidisciplinary field requiring the expertise of head and neck surgeons,
radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, maxillofacial/dental surgeons, reconstructive
microsurgeons, and other allied specialists. The training programs for specializing in this
complex specialty have also evolved over the course of the past 30 years, with the need to
incorporate training in increasingly complex technologies, development of new skill sets, and
integration of exposure to nonsurgical disciplines. An increasing number of textbooks have
been published over the past 20 years, as well as a plethora of published journal articles, with
emphasis on multidisciplinary treatments. Ample literature is available for the trainee and the
practitioner to remain abreast of the advances made in the field.
However, no specialty or board certification examination is available in this
complex field, and thus there is no measure of one’s competency in the specialty. The graduates
of the senior fellowship program in head and neck surgery and oncology and the faculty of the
head and neck program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York have created
this self-assessment compendium to measure the fundamental basic knowledge required of an
individual engaged in the specialty of head and neck surgery and oncology. This book by no
means is sufficient to measure competency in the specialty, nor is it intended to be sufficient
to gain certification in the specialty. On the other hand, it certainly introduces the reader to the
process of self-assessment of knowledge, judgment, an algorithmic thinking process, and the
decision-making ability in dealing with day-to-day problems in patients with neoplasms arising in the head and neck.
Each chapter contains a topic, following the sequence of the chapters in Jatin Shah’s Head
and Neck Surgery and Oncology, Fourth Edition. The questions are presented in three categories:
(1) True or False, (2) Single Best Answer, and (3) Multiple Choice combinations. Each chapter
includes the basic Core Knowledge required and has a Suggested Reading list. The answers to
the questions are provided at the end of each chapter. It is our hope that the reader will benefit
from initially taking the examination, pursue the topic further by reviewing the Core Knowledge, and then gain further knowledge from reading the recommended textbooks. We also
hope that this initial attempt at self-assessment will stimulate the reader to remain engaged in
continuing medical education in order to remain current with this rapidly advancing specialty