HNC survivors require continuing, but nonurgent, care
HNC survivors typically experience continuing medical care, but many non-urgent clinic appointments are already being postponed with an unknown time frame for rescheduling. Much of cancer surveillance depends on careful physical examination of the head and neck, including examination of the pharynx and larynx, often by flexible fiberoptic nasolaryngoscopy (FFNL). FFNL is an aerosol-generating procedure and the current consensus is to avoid performing this unless imminently life threatening in patients who are COVID-19-positive or those who have unknown infection status.3 Therefore, many HNC survivors will be unable to undergo complete cancer surveillance on their routine timeline. Furthermore, elective procedures to improve quality of life (such as esophageal dilation to improve swallowing) are also being postponed. Possible outcomes of such delayed/deferred care include delays in diagnosis of disease recurrence, increased anxiety, and decreased quality of life.