Antibiotic Prescribing Prior to Head and Neck Cancer Diagnosis

A patient in their 60s with oral cavity cancer recently returned for a follow-up appointment. Like many patients with oral cancer, they sought medical attention because they were having a symptom: dental pain. Following a diagnosis of an oral infection as the cause of the symptoms, they were treated with an antibiotic. Unfortunately, when the pain persisted, they were prescribed additional antibiotics, including a prolonged course of intravenous antibiotics via a peripherally inserted central catheter. Eventually, a positron emission tomographic and computed tomographic scan was ordered; its findings were suggestive of a malignant neoplasm; a biopsy was obtained; and the patient was diagnosed with stage IV oral cancer 9 months after initial presentation. For those in the medical community, this clinical scenario is all too familiar.
Source: JAMA Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery - Category: ENT & OMF Source Type: research