Treatment of head and neck cancer

Head and neck cancers cause worldwide a signifi cant problem in health care systems. Despite great advances in therapeutic modalities its prognosis has not changed in the past few decades. It is mainly caused by classical risk factors, like alcohol consumption and smoking, but in a signifi cant number of oropharyngeal cancers HPV infection plays a major role, which is associated with a new patient group characterized by a much better prognosis and therapeutic response. In the diagnostic phase staging examinations (CT scan, MRI, FDG-PET) are also involved which are necessary to multidisciplinary decision making. It can be largely infl uenced by the patient’s preference. The therapy is based on multimodality approach; surgery, radiotherapy, chemoirradiation, chemotherapy and the combination of these are used in early or locally advanced tumours. Targeted agents like EGFR inhibitors are partly used in the recurrent/metastatic setting or in combination with radiotherapy. Immun checkpoint inhibitors are new therapeutic options for pretreated, recurrent/metastatic patients and their role is under investigation in earlier therapeutic lines. Several clinical trials aim treatment desintensifi cation strategies in HPV positive tumours. Molecular genetic tests try to defi ne subgroups of patients to plan individualized treatment. Regarding the significant functional and aesthetic damage of both disease and treatment, supportive care and rehabilitation are of great importance.