Head and Neck Neoplasms

“So too we are dwarfs astride the shoulders of giants. We master their wisdom and move beyond it. Due to their wisdom we grow wise and are able to say all that we say, but not because we are greater than they.” Isaiah di Trani ben Mali (c. 1180 – c. 1250)

Just over 10 years ago, Dr Bill Dillon wrote a review of the previous 20 years of American Journal of Neuroradiology (AJNR) head and neck (H&N) imaging articles, highlighting the incredible advances in our subspecialty over that time period, and proposing future directions. It was thus with enthusiasm that I accepted Dr Mauricio Castillo's invitation to review the advances in H&N tumor imaging since 2000, as chronicled in the AJNR. It is an incredible luxury to allow oneself enough time to more thoroughly read and contemplate so many excellent articles.

This H&N Neoplasms Special Collection has been put together from the viewpoint of an academic, but predominantly clinical, neuroradiologist. My bias is toward articles that I have found particularly useful in clinical practice, what I see incorrectly reported at tumor board cases, or that I see as having exciting clinical potential.

The collection is arranged in 3 parts. The first section is a review of the core of H&N tumor imaging: squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), its staging, SCC nodal disease and post-treatment imaging. The second part is imaging of other malignant and benign neck neoplasms, from cerebellopontine angle–internal auditory canal masses to thyroid tumors. The final section reviews important and exciting articles on advanced imaging techniques: CT perfusion, dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging, MR diffusion, and MR spectroscopy. Over the next decade these techniques are likely to dramatically influence how we image and treat H&N tumors.

It has been extraordinarily difficult to restrict this collection to 45 articles, and in doing so many insightful articles had to be omitted. For those whose excellent work is not included, my sincere apologies. The resulting H&N Neoplasms Collection is a truly multinational compilation so that while many were submitted from institutions in the United States, 25 articles come from institutions in 12 countries in Asia, North America, Africa, and Europe.

In putting this together I have 2 giants in the fields of neuro/H&N radiology to thank: Mauricio Castillo, AJNR Editor-in-Chief, for envisioning the Special Collections and inviting me to put together this H&N Neoplasms edition; and Bill Dillon, the Senior Editor of H&N at AJNR since 1998, who has been invaluable in discussing selected articles for inclusion. I am also extraordinarily fortunate to have him as my chief, mentor, colleague, and friend; he has made me a far better radiologist than I had thought I could be.

All authors of these articles are giants in H&N radiology and we owe so much to their contributions for advancing our field. I hope you enjoy reading, learning, and wondering a little more about the future of H&N imaging.

Here's to the next 10 years!

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