Imaging of Complications of Head and Neck Cancer Treatment

Head and neck tumors are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms with variable cell origin, prognosis, and treatment options. Management is related to histologic type and staging, but surgery and chemoradiation are often the main options of treatment. These treatments, though widely used, can be associated with local complications. Early complications are usually related to surgery, and late complications are related to radiation therapy. Imaging plays an important role in the diagnosis and management of these complications, and radiologists must be familiar with them. The authors describe multiple important complications of head and neck cancer treatment with corresponding imaging findings.

Learning Objective: To demonstrate important complications of head and neck cancer treatment