Dr. Sher on ASTRO's Head and Neck Cancer Guideline Update

David Sher, MD, radiation oncologist, UT Southwestern Medical Center, provides an update on and the basis for ASTRO's Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Guideline.

In reviewing content for the guideline, Sher says that factors included variability in practice, prevalence of disease, and controversy surrounding the disease. Discussions over the guideline have been ongoing for 18 months, he adds. The guideline still must undergo additional rounds of review before it is finalized and published.

The guideline, which focuses on oropharyngeal cancer, will answer questions on when patients should be treated with concurrent chemotherapy or systemic therapy, as well as when induction chemotherapy should be administered.