Revisiting the concept of Neoadjuvant and Induction Therapy in Head and Neck Cancer with the advent of Immunotherapy

With over 650,000 new diagnoses every year, Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide, with increasing incidence in recent years. The majority of HNSCC is classified as locally advanced (LA) at diagnosis (more than 80%) based on TNM classification [1]. To date, treatment of LA HNSCC is based on surgery plus radiation in combination or not with chemotherapy or definitive (chemo)radiation, depending on site and stage [2]. Despite optimal locoregional treatment, 50% of patients recur, with a huge impact on prognosis: in fact, 5-year overall survival (OS) for LA HNSCC is reported to be around 50%, while once the disease recurs, the 1-year OS is around 15%, with a reported median OS of 10 –14 months [3].

Source: Cancer Treatment Reviews - October 12, 2023 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Davide Smussi, Davide Mattavelli, Alberto Paderno, Cristina Gurizzan, Luigi Lorini, Chiara Romani, Eliana Bignotti, Alberto Grammatica, Marco Ravanelli, Paolo Bossi Tags: Anti-tumour Treatment Source Type: research