Head & Neck Cancer

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Prognostic Factors Linked With Poor Locoregional Control in Tongue Cancer | Image Credit: © freshidea - stock.adobe.com.
Prognostic Factors Linked With Poor Locoregional Control in Tongue Cancer

March 5th 2024

Patients with factors such as lymphovascular space invasion or positive glossectomy specimen margins may be considered for adjuvant radiotherapy to optimize disease control of tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

 Radiation Therapy Plus Chemo Yielded Increased Efficacy in HPV+ Oropharynx Cancer
Radiation Therapy Plus Chemo Yielded Increased Efficacy in HPV+ Oropharynx Cancer

March 4th 2024

Frontline pembrolizumab with or without chemotherapy appears to remain a standard of care for patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma based on data from the LEAP-010 study.
Pembrolizumab/Lenvatinib Combo Shows Mixed Results in Recurrent/Metastatic HNSCC

March 1st 2024

The FDA grants clearance to an oral immobilization stent designed to redirect radiation to the target tumor area for patients with head and neck cancer.
FDA Clears Oral Stent Solution for Radiotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer

January 22nd 2024

After observing a prevalence of thyroid cancer among transgender female patients through clinical observation, a study was prompted by clinicians in order to determine if this is an issue in a larger population.
Thyroid Cancer Rates Are Higher Among Transgender Female Veterans

October 29th 2023

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Revisiting Induction Chemotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer

May 1st 2005

Squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck are highly responsiveto induction chemotherapy. However, randomized trials have failedto demonstrate a survival advantage with the addition of induction chemotherapyto locoregional therapy consisting of surgery and/or radiationtherapy. Currently, concomitant radiation and chemotherapy hasemerged as a standard and has optimized locoregional control in headand neck cancer. In this setting, the addition of induction chemotherapymay further improve outcome by enhancing both locoregional and distantcontrol. As interest in induction regimens is renewed, we elected toconduct a systematic review of trials of induction chemotherapy forlocoregionally advanced head and neck cancer. The most studied combination-cisplatin plus fluorouracil (5-FU)-achieves objective responserates of about 80%. In a meta-analysis, induction with platinum/5-FU resulted in a small survival advantage over locoregionaltherapy alone. The introduction of a taxane into induction chemotherapyregimens has produced promising results. Induction chemotherapyshould be the subject of further clinical research in head andneck cancer. Randomized clinical trials in which the control arm isconcurrent chemoradiotherapy and the experimental arm is inductionchemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy are planned.Platinum/taxane combinations are the preferred regimens for furtherstudy in the induction setting and a suitable platform with which toinvestigate the addition of novel targeted agents.


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Emerging Role of EGFR-Targeted Therapies and Radiation in Head and Neck Cancer

December 1st 2004

The treatment of head and neck cancer has been at the forefront ofnovel therapeutic paradigms. The introduction of drugs that interactwith selective biologic pathways in the cancer cell has generated considerableattention recently. A wide variety of new compounds that attemptto target growth-signaling pathways have been introduced intothe clinic. A majority of studies in the clinic have focused on epidermalgrowth factor receptor (EGFR) antagonists, but future studies will likelybuild upon or complement this strategy with agents that target angiogenicor cell-cycle pathways. EGFR activation promotes a multitude ofimportant signaling pathways associated with cancer development andprogression, and importantly, resistance to radiation. Since radiationtherapy plays an integral role in managing head and neck squamouscell cancer (HNSCC), inhibiting the EGFR pathway might improveour efforts at cancer cure. The challenge now is to understand whenthe application of these EGFR inhibitors is relevant to an individualpatient and how or when these drugs should be combined with radiationor chemotherapy. Are there molecular markers available to determinewho will respond to EGFR inhibitors and who should be treatedwith alternative approaches? What are the mechanisms behind intrinsicor acquired resistance to targeted agents, and how do we preventthis problem? We need to formulate integrated laboratory/clinicalresearch programs that address these important issues.