Promising New Approaches in the Treatment of Advanced Head and Neck Cancer

Abstract

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the head and neck (H&N) represents a major international health problem. The overwhelming majority of H&N cancers are strongly associated with tobacco use, and the intense global marketing of tobacco products suggests that it is unlikely there will be a decrease in H&N cancer incidence in the near future. Ongoing advances in surgical techniques continue to diminish treatment-related morbidity for patients with advanced disease. New developments in radiation and chemotherapy suggest that nonoperative treatment strategies will increasingly accomplish effective disease control, particularly with the refinement of concurrent chemoradiotherapy regimens and the use..