Dr. Cohen on the Quality of Life in Head and Neck Cancer

Ezra Cohen, MD, associate director, Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego, discusses the unmet need facing the quality of life for patients with head and neck cancer.

It is important to understand and individualize therapy for the patients, says Cohen. The challenges that remain for all head and neck cancers is the desire to cure the patient. Cure is now a potential option, he says, particularly for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma, salivary gland cancer, and thyroid cancer.

There is a challenge to preserve the quality of life of the individual, explains Cohen. For local events, such as squamous cell carcinoma in the HPV-positive area, more patients are suffering the long-term morbidities of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.