The Corona Virus disease (COVID 19) has been exponentially increasing so are the risks of COVID related complications. Various measures are being taken to control the infection. The increasing spread of the infection and severity of the disease has caused a fear in the public. This pandemic has also put immense pressure on the health care system. All the facilities have been utilised for the COVID management. Cancer Treatment has taken a backseat in many countries, although the importance of cancer management at the right time remains the same. The scare of the pandemic has refrained patients from approaching a doctor or visiting a hospital. The involvement of airway in head and cancers has also created a fear among people and health care professionals.

Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancers are uncommon globally but is one of the most common cancer in developing countries like India. It is often associated with long term use of Tobacco: Smoking or Tobacco Chewing. The Symptoms of Head and Neck Cancers depend on the location of the tumour. Most common being in the Oral Cavity: tongue, buccal mucosa , mandible. These patients commonly present with a lesion in the oral cavity, pain or burning sensation in the mouth, difficulty in mouth opening or chewing or slurring of speech. The stage of the disease is determined by the extent of the region affected and lymph node involvement. There are globally established guidelines for staging head and cancers. Stage 1 and stage 2 cancers are typically described as early stage cancers. In these cases surgical management is the mainstay of treatment. Cancer which has progressed to stage 3 or stage 4 will require adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Stage 1 and 2 cancers have a better outcome and good survival rate. Thus trying to emphasize on the need to detect the cancer at its early stage. Standard guidelines have been established nationally and globally for the management of these patients. All the surgical procedures are being performed keeping in mind the utmost safety of the patient and the health care workers. During the pandemic we have noticed that most patients present to us in the later stages. The main reason of this delay in consulting the doctor being the fear of visiting a hospital due to the pandemic. For patients with head and neck cancer, the tumour present a much greater threat to life that the risk of developing COVID- 19. It is important to create awareness among the general population regarding the importance of cancer treatment especially during the early stages.
We take a lot of pride in expressing our contribution in helping the cancer patients during the difficult times. We have been continuing our services for the patients with all needed precautions. Our team has taken immediate action by evaluating, reviewing and operating on our cancer patients without any delay. Over 100 cases have been operated last year. Securing the airway is of vital importance in the management of head and neck cancers. Even with the ongoing pandemic our team has successfully done elective and emergency tracheostomies with adequate precautions. There has been no delay in any of our procedures due to the pandemic. All our patients were operated keeping in mind the safety of the patients and our doctors. All of them have recovered. They have all resumed to their normal life. Hence it is important to understand the magnitude of head and neck cancers and the need for immediate treatment.