SCIENTIFIC REPORT .8 -- 1 INTRODUCTION 8 -- 1.1 BACKGROUND 8 -- 1.2 THE NEED FOR A GUIDELINE .9 -- 1.3 SCOPE .9 -- 1.4 REMIT OF THE GUIDELINE .9 -- 1.4.1 Overall objectives 9 -- 1.4.2 Target users of the guideline .9 -- 1.5 STATEMENT OF INTENT 9 -- 1.6 FUNDING AND DECLARATION OF INTEREST 10 -- 2 METHODOLOGY .10 -- 2.1 INTRODUCTION .10 -- 2.2 THE GUIDELINE DEVELOPMENT GROUP 10 -- 2.3 GENERAL APPROACH AND CLINICAL RESEARCH QUESTIONS 11 -- 2.4 LITERATURE SEARCH AND QUALITY APPRAISAL .12 -- 2.5 DATA EXTRACTION .12 -- 2.6 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS 12 -- 2.6.1 Therapeutic interventions 12 -- 2.6.2 Diagnostic interventions 13 -- 2.7 GRADING EVIDENCE 13 -- 2.8 FORMULATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS 16 -- 2.9 EXTERNAL REVIEW 18 -- 2.9.1 Healthcare professionals 18 -- 2.9.2 Patient representatives .19 -- 2.10 FINAL VALIDATION 19 -- 3 CLINICAL RECOMMENDATIONS 19 -- 3.1 DIAGNOSIS AND STAGING .20 -- 3.1.1 Patient information 20 -- 3.1.2 Biopsy .21 -- 3.1.3 Conventional imaging techniques 23 -- 3.1.4 PET scan 25 -- 3.1.5 Other staging interventions .31 -- 3.1.6 HPV testing .33 -- 3.2 TREATMENT OF PRIMARY NON-METASTATIC ORAL CAVITY CANCER 38 -- 3.2.1 Multidisciplinary treatment...38 -- 3.2.2 Surgical treatment 40 -- 3.2.3 Radiotherapy 41 -- 3.2.4 Induction chemotherapy .53 -- 3.2.5 Reconstructive surgery 58 -- 3.2.6 Management of the neck lymph nodes .59 -- 3.3 HISTOPATHOLOGY .75 -- 3.4 TREATMENT OF METASTATIC OR RECURRENT DISEASE NOT SUIT -- ABLE FOR CURATIVE TREATMENT .77 -- 3.5 LOCOREGIONAL RECURRENCE 80 -- 3.6 FOLLOW-UP .82 -- 3.7 REHABILITATION AND SUPPORTIVE TREATMENT 83 -- 3.7.1 Dental rehabilitation 83 -- 3.7.2 Speech and swallowing rehabilitation 84 -- 3.7.3 Nutritional therapy .86 -- 3.7.4 Psychosocial counselling and support 87 -- 4 IMPLEMENTATION AND UPDATING OF THE GUIDELINE .88 -- 4.1 IMPLEMENTATION 88 -- 4.2 MONITORING THE QUALITY OF CARE 88 -- 4.3 GUIDELINE UPDATE 88 -- REFERENCES 89