Clinical Outcome Research in the Head and Neck: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Clinics and Practice (ISSN 2039-7283).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 289

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: skin cancer; head and neck cancer; melanoma; clinical pharmacology; patient-reported outcome measures; clinical biomarkers; prognostic factors; epidemiology; oral and maxillofacial surgery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, R.G.H. "George Papanikolaou", Exohi, Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: oral maxillofacial surgery; head and neck surgery; reconstructive surgery; free flap surgery; head and neck oncology; quality of life research; outcome research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, entitled “Clinical Outcome Research in the Head and Neck: 2nd Edition”. This is the second volume of this Special Issue; we published 16 papers in the first. More details can be found at the following webpage:

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/clinpract/special_issues/Q2IXR5XT71

Head and neck diseases have a profound impact on quality of life, healthcare worker burnout, and healthcare burden. Patients grappling with head and neck diseases often experience a multitude of physical and psychological challenges, including pain, difficulty in swallowing and speaking, disfigurement, and impaired social interactions. These struggles can lead to a diminished quality of life, affecting their emotional well-being and overall satisfaction. Additionally, healthcare professionals involved in the care of these patients face unique challenges that contribute to burnout. The complex nature of head and neck diseases requires extensive expertise and coordination among various specialists, resulting in heavy workloads, high stress levels, and emotional strain. Moreover, the healthcare burden associated with these diseases is substantial, encompassing diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management. It places a significant strain on healthcare resources, including hospital facilities, medical equipment, and financial resources. Addressing quality of life, healthcare worker burnout, and healthcare burden related to head and neck diseases necessitates a holistic approach that emphasizes patient support, caregiver well-being, and investment in healthcare infrastructure and resources. Efforts to improve patient outcomes and alleviate the burden on healthcare workers should focus on education, early intervention, multidisciplinary care, and the development of sustainable healthcare systems.

We welcome submissions of original research articles and systematic reviews that investigate quality-of-life measures in the head and neck region, healthcare costs and demands, and burnout in professionals in this area. Studies examining clinical, prognostic, diagnostic, and therapeutic predictors and related outcomes will also be considered.

Dr. Athanassios A. Kyrgidis
Dr. Ioannis Tilaveridis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Clinics and Practice is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • head and neck
  • head and neck cancer
  • professional burnout
  • healthcare cost
  • biomarkers
  • predictors
  • quality of life

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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10 pages, 793 KiB  
Systematic Review
Prevalence of Free Flap Failure in Patients Undergoing Reconstruction for Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Evangelos Kostares, Georgia Kostare, Michael Kostares, Fani Pitsigavdaki, Athanassios Kyrgidis, Christos Perisanidis and Maria Kantzanou
Clin. Pract. 2025, 15(8), 151; https://doi.org/10.3390/clinpract15080151 - 14 Aug 2025
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is a serious complication in patients treated with antiresorptive or antiangiogenic agents, particularly those with cancer-related comorbidities. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the prevalence of free flap failure in patients undergoing microvascular [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is a serious complication in patients treated with antiresorptive or antiangiogenic agents, particularly those with cancer-related comorbidities. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the prevalence of free flap failure in patients undergoing microvascular reconstruction for MRONJ. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across Medline/PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science up to 30 January 2025. Inclusion criteria were observational studies involving MRONJ patients treated with free flap reconstruction. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. The pooled prevalence of free flap failure was calculated using a random-effects model with Freeman–Tukey double arcsine transformation. Results: Twelve studies were included in the quantitative analysis. The fibula free flap was the most frequently used flap. The pooled prevalence of free flap failure was 0.1% (95% CI: 0–2.3%), with no significant associations observed in meta-regression analyses for publication year, patient age, or sex. All included studies were of moderate methodological quality. Conclusions: These findings suggest that free flap reconstruction is a reliable and effective surgical option for managing advanced MRONJ in well-resourced and specialized healthcare settings; however, limitations such as small sample sizes and heterogeneity in protocols must be considered. Further high-quality, multicenter studies are needed to evaluate long-term outcomes and refine perioperative management strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Outcome Research in the Head and Neck: 2nd Edition)
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