Novel Chemoradiotherapy Regimens Incorporating Targeted Therapies in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancers

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. The majority of cases present with locally advanced, non-metastatic HNSCC for which the survival rates are approximately 50% at 5 years. Primary surgery followed by chemoradiotherapy (CRT) or definitive platinum-containing CRT are the standard therapeutic approaches utilized in locally advanced HNSCC. In the updated MACH-NC meta-analysis, CRT resulted in an absolute 8% improvement in overall survival (OS) at 5 years (Pignon et al., 2007; Pignon et al., 2009). However, despite incremental therapeutic advances, the problems of locoregional recurrences, distant metastases, organ preservation, and toxicity amelioration remain a significant challenge.