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Indian Journal of Surgical Oncology logoLink to Indian Journal of Surgical Oncology
. 2010 Nov 21;1(2):85–95. doi: 10.1007/s13193-010-0021-y

Update on role of chemotherapy in head and neck squamous cell cancer

S Marur 1,✉, A A Forastiere 1
PMCID: PMC3421005  PMID: 22930623

Abstract

Head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) is most commonly a tobacco-related disease, affecting nearly 600,000 people worldwide each year. For decades, HNSCC has been treated successfully with multimodality treatments including, surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, though the ‘perfect’ treatment paradigm remains elusive. This review will discuss a number of clinical trials, comparing various combinations of chemotherapy and the settings in which they are most successful. Promising research and recent data on the combination of cytotoxic chemotherapy with new biological agents indicate chemotherapy plays a critical role in treatment of HNSCC and will only continue to improve.

Keywords: Head and neck cancer, chemotherapy, chemoradiation, induction chemotherapy, targeted therapy, cetuximab

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