Predictive Factors for Diagnosis of Advanced-Stage Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

Abstract
THERE IS general consensus that clinical stage at the time of diagnosis is the most important predictor of recurrence and death in patients with cancers of the head and neck.1-6 Clinical stage at the time of diagnosis is influenced by several clinical and sociodemographic variables, including patient delay in consulting a health care professional and professional delay in diagnosing and treating the disease.7-9