New chemoradiotherapy combinations in head and neck cancer.
Head and neck squamous cell cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. Surgical management is effective as a single modality only for early-stage cancers (30% of patients). Making progress in this cancer is of vital interest. The standard treatment for advanced disease is chemoradiotherapy, with the goal of palliation of symptoms and prolongation of life. Response rates to even the best of regimens are approximately 30-40%, with the median survival period of approximately 6 months. Various approaches to treatment of recurrent disease are under investigation, including new drugs or combinations of drugs, with radiotherapy.
Medical Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Largo Rosanna Benzi 2, Genova, Italy.
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Busto
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Corvò
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Ricci
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Sanguineti
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Benasso
D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care