April is Head and Neck Cancer Awareness month. The National Cancer Institute estimates that head and neck cancers comprise 4% of cancers diagnosed each year. In 2021, more than 65,000 people impacted by newly diagnosed head and neck cancers. These cancers are diagnosed more often in women and also more often among people over age 50.

CAP Cancer Protocols play an important role in disease management, ensuring that all pathology reports contain necessary data elements to improve patient care. The CAP has nine protocols for head and neck related cancers (https://capatholo.gy/2OkNDkZ), as Raja Seethala, MD, FCAP, explains in this CAPcast episode. Dr. Seethala is Director of the Head and Neck/Endocrine Pathology Center of Excellence at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Seethala is also a member of the CAP Cancer Committee and Biomarker Committee serving as a subject matter expert on cancers of the head and neck.