Head and Neck Cancer Highlights of ESMO Congress 2014

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a challenging cancer to treat and cure. A great proportion of patients present with advanced disease and appropriate treatment options include surgical resection with adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) or chemoradiotherapy (CRT), radical concurrent CRT or RT with monoclonal antibody cetuximab. Despite improved outcomes with CRT, overall prognosis is still unsatisfactory and treatment-related toxicity is a matter of major importance. To obtain improved outcomes and mitigate disease recurrence, current research is focused on novel molecular targeted agents, immunotherapy and discovery of predictive markers. Herein, we summarise recent advances in treatment of head and neck cancer, as presented in European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2014.