About 500,000 head and neck carcinomas are diagnosed worldwide annually. This accounts for approximately 8% of all newly diagnosed cases of cancer, ranking head and neck carcinoma the sixth most common.[1] In the United States, 47,560 new head and neck carcinomas are expected to be diagnosed in 2008,[2] and this disease accounts for 5% of all newly diagnosed cases of cancer. Approximately 90% to 95% are squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHNs). More>>

In the past, locoregionally advanced head and neck cancer routinely was treated by surgery followed by adjuvant radiation therapy, unless the disease was too extensive to be resected and treatment defaulted to radiation therapy alone. More>>

Bruce Culliney and colleagues have provided a thorough and well written summary of the literature regarding multimodality treatment of patients with locoregionally advanced or unresectable head and neck malignancies. In particular, they offer a detailed outline of recent insights into radiation dosing and fractionation and their optimal use in the combined-modality setting. More>>

BOSTON—A gene therapy agent that delivers a normal p53 gene to the tumor significantly increased survival by 4.5 months in end-stage head and neck cancer patients with p53-favorable tumor profiles, compared to those with unfavorable profiles. More>>

Taxotere gets fast track status for head and neck cancer indication More>>

P reliminary findings show that the addition of cetuximab (Erbitux) to radiation therapy and chemotherapy may help some patients with head and neck cancer live longer, according to a study presented at the plenary session of the recent Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium, held in Rancho Mirage, Calif, and cosponsored by the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, the American Society for Clinical Oncology, and the American Head and Neck Society. Researchers... More>>

Squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck are highly responsive to induction chemotherapy. However, randomized trials have failed to demonstrate a survival advantage with the addition of induction chemotherapy to locoregional therapy consisting of surgery and/or radiation therapy. Currently, concomitant radiation and chemotherapy has emerged as a standard and has optimized locoregional control in head and neck cancer. In this setting, the addition of induction chemotherapy may further... More>>

Argiris and colleagues report a systematic review evaluating the activity and potential role of induction chemotherapy in patients with previously untreated, locoregionally advanced squamous cell head and neck cancer.[1] They consider both phase II and III published trials. The data reviewed in their paper, and their thoughtful synthesis and interpretation of these data, highlight certain themes: More>>

Argiris et al present a comprehensive review of induction chemotherapy for head and neck cancer, and should be lauded for their meticulous work. This paper carefully delineates and categorizes most of the relevant induction chemotherapy studies in head and neck cancer performed over the past 3 decades. The authors have sought to answer questions regarding the optimal number of chemotherapy cycles (a critical factor when one uses response to induction chemotherapy to determine eligibility for... More>>

Argiris et al present a comprehensive review of induction chemotherapy for head and neck cancer, and should be lauded for their meticulous work. This paper carefully delineates and categorizes most of the relevant induction chemotherapy studies in head and neck cancer performed over the past 3 decades. The authors have sought to answer questions regarding the optimal number of chemotherapy cycles (a critical factor when one uses response to induction chemotherapy to determine eligibility for... More>>