Dear Fellow Members of the FHNO,

It is an honor to be the President as we embark on another transformative year for the Foundation for Head and Neck Oncology. Our society has been relentlessly working for establishing uniform standards of care, fostering a world-class community of head neck oncologists and creating a cadre of cutting-edge researchers. I and my executive committee intends to achieve this by strengthening transparency, focussed activities (seminars, workshops, conferences etc) and member engagement. This includes continued advancement of FHNO-recognized fellowships, online teaching programs, and surgical workshops to bridge the gap in quality care. We also need to inculcate the philosophy of integrating speech- swallowing therapy, physiotherapy, psychosocial support, dental care and reconstructive surgery into the standard patient care pathway.

The landscape of oncology is being rewritten by Artificial Intelligence, Molecular profiling and Precision medicine. We will ensure that the FHNO remains at the forefront of this "Translational Landscape," bridging the gap between high-tech research and bedside application to provide personalized, cost-effective care. I urge all the members to support the official FHNO Journal to disseminate indigenous research and management protocols. We need to lay great emphasis on establishing evidence- based guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and staging specifically tailored to the Indian context. This can be achieved through the Head and Neck Cooperative Oncology Group that will facilitate multi-centric studies tailored to the unique challenges of the Low and Middle- Income Countries. We will also expand our digital education platforms to ensure that even the most remote districts have access to oncology expertise.

While our surgical and clinical skills have never been sharper, the rising burden of head and neck cancers—particularly among the younger generation—demands that we look beyond the operating theaters. My vision for our fraternity is centered on one critical addition: Integrating Cancer Care and Cancer Control.

I look forward to working closely with each of you to ensure that the FHNO can meet the growing aspirations of its 1400+ members and expectations of our patients.
See you all in FHNO, Srinagar.

Prof Pankaj Chaturvedi
President, Foundation for Head and Neck Oncology
Director, ACTREC, Tata Memorial Centre
Director, International Federation of Head Neck Oncology

From Secretary’s Desk,

It is indeed an honour to serve as FHNO secretary after an eventful successive term as treasurer. It has been 21 years since FHNO was conceived mainly as a surgeon centric organization. Certain important decisions like opening up the organization to all specialities involved with head and neck cancer management propelled FHNO to become one of the largest and vibrant head and neck oncology group around the world. It is gratifying to note that the core principle of commitment to research and education remains intact. FHNO meetings are setting standards for sound academic content and deliberations. FHNO has many landmark achievements such as initiation of travel awards, FHNO Journal, accredited fellowship program, research wing (HNCOG) to name a few. My predecessors deserve credit who have worked behind the scene to accomplish these goals.

Moving forward, we need to strengthen communication among members to share and disseminate knowledge. Communication is key and it can no longer be limited to occasional newsletters or circulars but need to be possibly on daily basis. Social media platforms provide an opportunity which can be leveraged. Many of our members are tech and social media savvy, I invite suggestions to improve interaction. Efforts are on to further streamline online membership application process with integrated payment gateway. Website is also being reworked to make it more dynamic and user friendly. Many of our members are involved in multiple social initiative at individual level, involvement of FHNO in social activities and patient advocacy such as joint tobacco cessation drives, laryngectomee club etc need be strengthened. We intend to enhance interaction with other national and international organizations in order to build a synergy and learn from each other’s experience. No organization can function without resources, we need to actively seek out for donations, named orations and symposium. This will help us to further expand the scope of our activities. FHNO journal is already indexed with scopus and others, we need to support journal by submitting our best research articles to ensure indexing with pubmed soon.

National conferences for 2020 and 2021 will be announced soon,I request each of our members to mark their calendar. Younger colleagues can plan their research accordingly to present data at this national forum in presence of leaders in field.

I invite all members to get actively involved with association activities. Please feel free to contact me any suggestions or concerns.

With regards

Dr. Vikram Kekatpure
Secretary , FHNO ( 2019-2021)

Message from the Chairman Governing Council,

The Foundation for Head and Neck oncology had a humble beginning in 2003 when like- minded individuals interested in Head and Neck oncology joined together to meet at AIIMS New Delhi to fill in a void of a forum to promote academic activities in this field in India. From then the FHNO has been giving leadership in multiple fields including training, clinical and basic sciences research, rehabilitation and preventive oncology in the country. The Foundation has grown encompassing all specialists involved in head and neck cancer care including radiation and medical oncologists and rehabilitation experts apart from the surgical specialists from different training backgrounds.
The FHNO has been accredited as the representative association from India to the International Federation of Head and Neck Oncology Societies (IFHNOS). The FHNO meetings are well attended and known for high standards of academic content. It is a coveted forum where the cream of activity in field at national level is presented. These meetings have been twinned with other international association meetings like the IFHNOS world tour and the Asian society of head and neck oncology meeting. Few notable achievements of the FHNO include having an official journal of our own and streamlining the training programmes in the country by starting a FHNO endorsed fellowship training programme. With the great talent pool available in the country and the new spirit of India aspiring to be showing the way to the world in many fronts, the FHNO representing the largest professional contingent working at present in the field of head and neck oncology in the world, FHNO is poised to become one of the most vibrant organized societies in head and neck oncology.

With regards

Dr. Subramania Iyer
Governing Council - Chairman

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

As I pen this message, I am reminded of the profound responsibility we share, not merely as clinicians, but as custodians of hope for thousands who battle head and neck cancer each year. The Foundation for Head and Neck Oncology stands today as a testament to the vision of those who built it, and to the collective commitment of a community that refuses to be complacent.

India's burden of head and neck malignancies is among the highest in the world. This sobering reality, however, presents us with an unparalleled opportunity. With access to such vast clinical material, we are uniquely positioned to answer questions that the rest of the world cannot. The imperative now is to transform volume into value, to ensure that every patient encounter contributes to a larger tapestry of evidence that can refine how we diagnose, treat and prognosticate.

Our discipline has witnessed remarkable evolution. From reconstruction that restores form and function, to transoral approaches that minimize morbidity, to the growing role of immunotherapy in our armamentarium, the landscape is vastly different from what it was a generation ago. Yet, with each advancement comes the obligation to evaluate its true worth. Cost-effectiveness, patient-reported outcomes and long-term survivorship data must guide our adoption of new technologies, lest we be swept away by novelty alone.

The training of young oncologists remains central to our mission. Beyond the technical mastery, we must instil in them an inquiring mind, one that questions dogma, embraces evidence and contributes original scholarship. The FHNO fellowship and our collaborative research initiatives are steps in this direction, but the journey demands sustained mentorship from each one of us.

I invite you to engage actively with the Foundation's endeavours this year. Participate in our multicentric studies, contribute to our academic programs and lend your voice to discussions that shape policy. The strength of FHNO lies not in its office-bearers but in its members—in your expertise, your ideas and your unwavering dedication to the patients we serve.

Together, let us build a future where excellence in head and neck oncology is not the exception but the standard.

Warm regards,
Krishnakumar Thankappan
Secretary, FHNO