Head & Neck Cancers | Specialty

The OncLive Head and Neck Cancer condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and expert insights on treatment for patients with head and neck cancer. This page features news articles, interviews in written and video format, and podcasts that focus on unmet needs, treatment advances, and ongoing research within head and neck cancer.

New Method of Predicting Head and Neck Cancer Survival Explored

May 20th 2013

A new measure of tumor heterogeneity in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) was significantly associated with tumor progression and adverse treatment outcomes.

LUX Program Examines Pan-HER Inhibitor Afatinib in Multiple Tumor Types

May 17th 2013

Researchers are attempting to determine if targeting more than one tyrosine kinase provide a greater benefit in several clinical trials involving the investigational drug afatinib.

Dr. Sherman on Pazopanib in Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer

May 14th 2013

Eric J. Sherman, MD, Head and Neck Oncology Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the treatment of anaplastic thyroid cancer with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), paclitaxel, and pazopanib.

New Drug Potentially Blocks HPV from Causing Head and Neck Cancer

April 17th 2013

A novel small molecule inhibitor called CH1iB may be able to block a mechanism that enables human papilloma virus to cause head and neck cancer.

Dr. Sherman Defines RAI Resistance in Thyroid Cancer

April 15th 2013

Steven I. Sherman, MD, from the MD Anderson Cancer Center, describes the need to expand the clinical definition of radioactive iodine resistance for patients with thyroid cancer.

Selumetinib May Reverse Resistance to Radioiodine in Patients with Advanced Thyroid Cancer

March 27th 2013

Patients with advanced thyroid cancer who develop resistance to treatment with radioiodine may benefit from the experimental drug selumetinib.

Oropharyngeal Cancer Links to HPV Detailed

March 12th 2013

The patterns characterizing oropharyngeal cancers associated with the human papillomavirus are bucking broad trends in oncology statistics in the United StatesâŽ¯and not in a positive way.

Rise in Some HPV-Linked Cancers Highlights Need for Vaccination

March 11th 2013

The incidence of cervical cancer, an HPV-associated cancer, declined slightly; however, incidence rates increased for oropharyngeal and anal cancer, which also are considered HPV-associated cancers.

Optimizing Advanced Technologies to Improve Outcomes in Esophageal Cancer

February 28th 2013

Studies have explored integration of chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery, with the suggestion that modern technologies may be changing the treatment landscape with better outcomes in esophageal cancer.

Five Genetic Subgroups Revealed in Head and Neck Tumor Analysis

February 27th 2013

New research suggests that there may be five distinct subgroups of head and neck cancer in which specific genetic profiles may be utilized to guide treatment decisions in patients.

Notch Signaling: Tackling a Complex Pathway With a New Generation of Agents

February 27th 2013

Notch-targeted agents that were initially intended for the treatment of Alzheimer disease are now being examined for their possible anticancer activity.

Dr. Posner on HPV-Positive Oropharynx Cancer

January 7th 2013

Marshall Posner, MD, from Mount Sinai Medical Center, discusses the factors that improve the prognosis for patients with HPV-positive head and neck cancer when compared to patients who are HPV-negative.

Sorafenib Improves PFS in Thyroid Cancer

January 3rd 2013

A phase III trial of sorafenib in patients with locally advanced or metastatic RAI-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer met its primary endpoint of a statistically significant improvement in PFS.

Searching for New Pathways and Treatments for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

December 27th 2012

Scientists now know a lot more about the genetic landscape of head and neck cancer and hope that eventually this knowledge will lead the way to new therapies.

Low-Dose Radioiodine Ablation Is Effective Treatment for Thyroid Cancer

December 11th 2012

Low-dose radioiodine ablation with thyrotropin alfa is as effective as high-dose radioiodine ablation in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer and is safer.

FDA Approves Cabozantinib for Medullary Thyroid Cancer

November 29th 2012

The FDA approved cabozantinib, a multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, for the treatment of metastatic medullary thyroid cancer.

Pazopanib and Cabozantinib Explored in Thyroid Cancer

October 30th 2012

Despite the fact that pazopanib and cabozantinib are not yet approved, researchers are already trying to determine the best way to integrate them into existing treatment regimens.

Dr. Sherman Discusses MEK Inhibitors for Thyroid Cancer

October 22nd 2012

Steven I. Sherman, MD, from MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the clinical interest in MEK inhibitors for thyroid cancer and a broad range of other tumors that signal through the MAP kinase pathway.

Dr. Cohen on the Cabozantinib Dosage and Tolerability

October 4th 2012

Ezra Cohen, MD, from the University of Chicago Medical Center, discusses the impact of cabozantinib's dose size on tolerability.

Dr. Sippel Explains Thyroid Cancer Risk Factors

October 2nd 2012

Rebecca S. Sippel, MD, from University of Wisconsin, explains the need for added screening for those at high-risk of developing thyroid cancer.