[Panendoscopy in head and neck oncology : lost art or a sign of changing practice ?]

Abstract

Since the mid-1970s, panendoscopy has been a cornerstone of the pretherapeutic workup for squamous cell carcinomas of the upper aerodigestive tract. It enables assessment of tumor extent and detection of synchronous cancers, whose incidence has declined, from approximately 25% in the 1990s to around 5% today. This decrease is mainly explained by the rise in human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal cancers, which are less frequently associated with synchronous malignancies, as well as by reduced tobacco and alcohol consumption. These developments now raise questions about about the utility of maintaining routine panendoscopy in the pretherapeutic workup. This article reviews the evolution and diagnostic value of panendoscopy and proposes a more individualized approach.