Symptomatology in head and neck cancer: a quantitative review of 385 cases.

Symptom durations in head and neck cancer patients analyzed as a function of tumor stage suggest a reversal of the "common sense" notion that patients with early disease generally present with a shorter symptomatic period. A possible explanation is that variation in stage at diagnosis is primarily due to intrinsic differences in tumor aggressiveness rather than patient delay. This would imply that early detection programs may be incapable of realizing the potential for improved survival commonly ascribed to them.