USF-LVHN SELECT
Cancer Care Navigation Improves Timeliness of Treatment in Head and Neck Cancer.
Publication/Presentation Date
10-15-2026
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Timely access to oncologic care is critical for patients with head and neck cancer (HNC), yet delays in treatment remain widespread. We sought to determine whether implementation of a care navigation program was associated with improved timeliness.
METHODS: Four hunded and four adult patients who underwent HNC resection with free flap reconstruction were retrospectively reviewed. The primary outcome was time to adjuvant therapy and disease-free survival.
RESULTS: Median [IQR] age was 64 [58-73] years and 133 (33%) were women. Significant interval decreases were observed from surgery to initiation of adjuvant radiotherapy (56 [39-83] vs. 45 [31-64] days, p = 0.004). Log-rank testing revealed no difference in disease-free survival between pre- and postprogram cohorts (p = 0.7695).
CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a care navigation program was associated with significant reductions in time to treatment. These findings suggest that structured pathways can meaningfully improve oncologic care delivery for HNC patients.
ISSN
1097-0347
Published In/Presented At
Islam, A. M., Baldwin, R. B., Dallas, A. E., Dyer, B. J., Vidwans, A., Dunn, E., Preziosi, C., Elsamna, S. T., Toman, J., Mokhtari, T., Nickel, C. J., & Mifsud, M. (2026). Cancer Care Navigation Improves Timeliness of Treatment in Head and Neck Cancer. Head & neck, 10.1002/hed.70513. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/hed.70513
Disciplines
Medical Education | Medicine and Health Sciences
PubMedID
42877993
Department(s)
USF-LVHN SELECT Program, USF-LVHN SELECT Program Students
Document Type
Article