Multimodal treatment for head and neck cancer.

ABSTRACT

Head and neck cancers are relatively less common tumors, but with complex anatomic and physiologic relationships to the structures from which they arise. Multimodal management is required for advanced stage disease, while single modality treatment is usually sufficient for early lesions. Treatment paradigms have shifted toward more functional preservation of speech and swallowing, when possible. Increased use of radiation, systemic/targeted therapies and function-preserving surgical approaches have allowed for organ preservation without compromising oncologic outcomes in properly selected patients.