HNCF Conference
HNCF conference objectives
The technique of sentinel node biopsy is now well established in principle and has been adopted internationally for both breast cancer and melanoma. Other tumour sites are being investigated in a research environment. Sentinel node biopsy in head and neck, particularly within the oral cavity is developing rapidly. It has been adopted as the standard of care in Holland, Denmark and now the United Kingdom.
The adoption of sentinel node biopsy, unfortunately, has not been complemented with a robust scientific foundation in head and neck cancer. Proposals for national and international prospective randomised studies have not found favour with national funding bodies.
It is well established that the sentinel node biopsy technique is an operator sensitive procedure and it is important in a time of rapid adoption of the technique that as much uniformity and consensus can be achieved in applying the sentinel node biopsy technique to the oral cavity.
Conference objectives
The object of our conferences is to produce a consensus where possible to guide clinical practice. It is accepted that some of the recommendations from our conferences will need to be forged as new evidence emerges.
Upcoming HNCF conferences
We have no conference dates confirmed at the moment. Please check back soon for details of future conferences.