Management of human papillomavirus-induced oropharynx cancer.
Oropharynx cancer (OPC) constitutes the most common location for squamous-cell head and neck cancer, and most OPC is caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). Early-stage (American Joint Committee on Cancer [AJCC] stage I and II) disease should be treated with single modality surgery or radiotherapy whenever possible. More advanced presentations generally require combined-modality therapy with various combinations of surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy or molecularly targeted therapy. All of these approaches expose patients to a substantial risk of serious long-term functional morbidity. HPV-induced OPC has a very favorable prognosis compared with its HPV-negative counterpart irrespective of the treatment platform that is used. Current clinical trials are investigating the concept of therapeutic deintensification with the dual objectives of decreasing toxicity and maintaining efficacy.
From the Duke University Cancer Institute, Durham, NC.
David
D
Brizel