Dr. Vokes on Curative Treatment Approaches in Head and Neck Cancer

Everett Vokes, MD, John E. Ultmann Professor of Medicine and Radiation Oncology, physician-in-chief, University of Chicago Medical Center, chair, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago Medicine, discusses curative treatment approaches for patients with head and neck cancer.

Patients with locoregionally advanced head and neck cancer are currently treated with concurrent chemoradiation, and occasional induction therapy. According to Vokes, future research should investigate if it is possible to administer less radiation, or even no chemotherapy, for these patients that reduces toxicities both acutely and chronically.

This is particularly important because oncologists are often quite concerned with the toxicities typically seen in the treatment of patients with head and neck cancer. Some of those adverse events include salivary dysfunction, dental issues, neck fibrosis, and swallowing problems.