Dr. Mell on Factors of Risk Stratification in Head and Neck Cancer

Loren K. Mell, MD, assistant professor, Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, discusses factors that contribute to risk stratification and treatment of head and neck cancer.

Mell says that characteristics of the tumor, as well as genetic factors, have been rightly focused on in the process of risk stratification for patients with head and neck cancer. There are other factors that are of importance in this disease though, such as age and existing health problems, which should be considered when deciding treatment, Mell adds.