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Telephone triage of suspected head and neck cancer patients during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic using the Head and Neck Cancer Risk Calculator version 2

Part of: JLO Coronavirus Collection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 March 2021

S Banerjee Open the ORCID record for S Banerjee [Opens in a new window] ,
D Voliotidis Open the ORCID record for D Voliotidis [Opens in a new window] ,
L Parvin Open the ORCID record for L Parvin [Opens in a new window]  and
S P K Rama
S Banerjee*
Affiliation:
Department of ENT and Head Neck Surgery, University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, Coventry, UK
D Voliotidis
Affiliation:
Department of ENT and Head Neck Surgery, University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, Coventry, UK
L Parvin
Affiliation:
Department of ENT and Head Neck Surgery, University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, Coventry, UK
S P K Rama
Affiliation:
Department of ENT and Head Neck Surgery, University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, Coventry, UK
*
Author for correspondence: Mr Swagatam Banerjee, Department of ENT and Head Neck Surgery, University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, Clifford Bridge Road, CoventryCV2 2DX, UK E-mail: swagatam.banerjee1@nhs.net
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Abstract

Objective

Utilisation of the Head and Neck Cancer Risk Calculator version 2 has been recommended during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic for the assessment of head and neck cancer referrals. As limited data were available, this study was conducted to analyse the use of the Head and Neck Cancer Risk Calculator version 2 in clinical practice.

Method

Patients undergoing telephone triage in a two-week wait referral clinic were included. Data were collected and analysed using appropriate methods.

Results

Sixty-four patients in the study were risk-stratified into low-risk (51.6 per cent, 33 of 64), moderate-risk (14.1 per cent, 9 of 64) and high-risk (34.4 per cent, 22 of 64) groups. Of the patients, 53.1 per cent (34 of 64) avoided an urgent hospital visit, and 96.9 per cent (62 of 64) were cancer free, while 3.1 per cent (2 of 64) were found to have a head and neck malignancy. The sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value and accuracy were 50.00 per cent, 66.13 per cent, 99.92 per cent and 66.11 per cent, respectively.

Conclusion

It is reasonable to use the calculator for triaging purposes, but it must always be accompanied by a meticulous clinical thought process.

Keywords

Covid-19NeoplasmsHead and Neck NeoplasmsTriage
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 135 , Issue 3 , March 2021 , pp. 241 - 245
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

Mr S Banerjee takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

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