It was not until 1998 at the First European Breast Cancer Conference that many medical societies focused on breast cancer treatment claimed that breast cancer care, which includes diagnosis, treatment, genetic counseling, psycho-social support, and research, should be assembled in specialized units within an institution ( 4). The first functional units created in Europe were the breast cancer treatment units. These units integrate a multidisciplinary committee and include all the departments involved in a patient's care with the aim of facilitating the intervals and interactions between the different professionals, hence reducing time to diagnosis and/or commencement of treatment. The natural evolution of this approach was the development of oncological functional units: disease-site specific cancers focused on the management and provision of services for cancer patients ( 3). The addition of the latter group of professionals improved the quality of cancer care by preventing and diminishing treatment side-effects, which in turn improved patient adherence and compliance to therapies ( 2). When the MDT members became aware that this approach was actually improving patient care, additional specialities focused on supportive interventions were included in the MDTs. The MDT initially consisted in a regulated committee that reviewed all new cancer patients and agreed on the therapeutic plan proposed by medical and radiation oncologist and surgical specialists based on their clinical expertise and the evidence available to date. In the meantime, organ-preservation strategies started to develop in HNC with the use of new available therapeutic techniques ( 1). The multidisciplinary approach emerged in oncology in the mid-1980s, when the addition of chemotherapy to radiotherapy and/or surgery was proven to improve survival. Joining the efforts from different professionals is thought to improve patient management in contrast with the old idea of a global treatment offered by a single physician. Patient symptoms and treatment side-effects as well as physical and psychological impact will vary according to cancer location and treatment plan. Head and neck cancer (HNC) involves multiple and biologically distinct diseases that require different therapeutic approaches. The aim of this comprehensive review is to assess the role of the different supportive disciplines integrated in an MDT and how they help providing a better care to HNC patients during diagnosis, treatment and follow up.Ī multidisciplinary team (MDT) in oncology is defined as the cooperation between different specialized professionals involved in cancer care with the overarching goal of improving treatment efficiency and patient care. In addition, involving translational research teams should also be considered, as it will help reducing the existing gap between basic research and the daily clinical practice. Hence, these professionals should be integrated in HNC MDTs. The impairment of these functions can significantly impact patients' quality of life and psychosocial status, and highlights the crucial role of specialized nurses, dietitians, psycho-oncologists, social workers, and onco-geriatricians, among others. HNC often compromise relevant structures of the upper aerodigestive tract involving functions such as speech, swallowing and breathing, among others. Most of head and neck cancer (HNC) units are currently led by MDTs that at least include ENT and maxillofacial surgeons, radiation and medical oncologists. The core function of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) is to bring together a group of healthcare professionals from different fields in order to determine patients' treatment plan.
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