Skip to main content
AAO-HNSF 2026 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO Main banner
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.

Great Debates

Pediatric Otolaryngology

Great Debate: Are We Causing Cancer in Kids?

Saturday, October 17, 2026
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM PT
Location: Concourse Hall 152

    Panelist(s)

  • Torrey L. Fourrier, MD

    Pediatric Otolaryngologist
    Ochsner LSU Health
    Shreveport, LA, United States

  • Ryan H. Belcher, MD, MPH

    Associate Professor
    Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
    Nashville, Tennessee, United States

  • MM

    Matt MAKSIMOSKI, MD

    Assistant Professor
    Medical College of Wisconsin and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin
    Brookfield, Wisconsin, United States

  • Matthew M. Smith, MD, MPH

    Associate Professor
    Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
    Cincinnati, OH, United States

    • Moderator(s)

  • KM

    Kara D. Meister, MD

    Assistant Professor
    Stanford Medicine
    Stanford, CA, United States

Disclosure(s):
Torrey L. Fourrier, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Ryan H. Belcher, MD, MPH:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Matthew M. Smith, MD, MPH:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

This no-holds-barred debate pits four expert otolaryngologists against each other on a question we're being asked by families: Could our routine practices increase the risk of cancer in children? We will review the data on both sides of 2 topics: do CT scans in children increase cancer risk? Does a tonsillectomy performed in childhood increase the risk of cancer? Criticism, confounders, and strengths from recent publications will be evaluated, and experts will share how the recent literature has shaped their practices. This isn't your typical polite academic discussion.

Format:
- Opening arguments (10 min each side per topic)
- Case debates: e.g., "This kid needs a CT" vs. "No they don't" (15 min)
- Cross-examination and rebuttals (10 min)
- Audience interrogation with live polling (15 min)

Learning Objectives:

  • 1. Distinguish causation versus association in tonsillectomy-cancer literature and develop evidence-based patient counseling strategies.
  • 2. Quantify population-attributable cancer risk from CT imaging (sinus, temporal bone, neck) and integrate this into clinical decision-making.
  • 3. Construct talking points for responding to parental concerns about increased cancer risk following tonsillectomy.