Management of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: updated European treatment recommendations

Abstract

Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck requires a multidisciplinary management. Risk factors for adjuvant radiotherapy are stage III–IV, perineural involvement or vascular tumor embolism. If there are positive margins or extracapsular extension chemoradiotherapy is needed. For patients with nonresectable disease we recommend treatment with concomitant chemoradiation, although this has important acute and late toxicity. Concomitant EGF receptor inhibitors and taxane-based induction chemotherapy are new strategies under study that have demonstrated some benefits but are not yet the standard treatment. Intensity-modulated radiotherapy allows one to decrease radiation dose to organs. Preclinical work in signaling pathways and other oncogenic factors (e.g., human papillomavirus infection) will be the key to improving outcomes of head and neck cancer patients in the future.

Keywords::

• EGF receptor
• head and neck cancer
• human papillomavirus
• intensity-modulated radiotherapy
• locally advanced head and neck carcinoma
• postoperative radiotherapy
• risk groups
• squamous cell carcinoma

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.