Head & Neck Cancers Articles | Page 3

Although surgery and radiotherapy are standard treatment modalities for grade T1/T2 oral cavity cancer, both approaches have well-documented limitations, including their association with adverse effects that lower quality of life for patients.

The presence of metastatic lymph nodes was directly correlated with poorer survival in patients with oral cancer, according to findings published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has issued guidelines recommending against nivolumab (Opdivo), lenvatinib (Lenvima), and sorafenib (Nexavar).

The incidence of mouth and throat cancer is on the rise due to transmission of the human papilloma virus, but physicians at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center have managed to significantly reduce the intensity of treatment and improve quality of life for these patients.

Barbara A. Burtness, MD, discusses the current role of immunotherapy in head and neck cancer and potential combination regimens on the horizon.

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) reduced the risk of death compared with standard of care therapy in patients with relapsed/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, but the difference fell just shy of statistical significance.

High-intensity local radiation combined with systemic therapy improved overall survival compared with systemic therapy alone in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Two doses of nivolumab given about 1 month prior to surgery are well tolerated and reduces tumor size in about half of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

¹⁸Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography scanning reliably detected residual neck disease in newly diagnosed patients with locoregionally advanced head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Results from an analysis of 3D tumor volume measurements shows papillary thyroid cancers ≤1.5 cm grew slowly during a period of active surveillance, suggesting that surgery may not be necessary for all patients.