Precision Medicine in Cancers of Head and Neck

Personalized medicine indicates a treatment tailored for each individual patient. In recent years, this term has been widely replaced by the term precision medicine which in more accurate and associates patient’s care with genetic, environmental, clinical, and lifestyle factors.In head and neck cancers, validated biomarkers are still lacking and therefore, precision medicine approaches are not widely in use. One exception is recognition of human papillomavirus (HPV) related tumors, which has the potential to revolutionize cancer treatments.HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers (OPCs) represent a distinct clinical and biological entity. The viral-induced carcinogenetic process offers, at least in part, the unique opportunity of design a tailor-made treatment plan for patients with oropharyngeal cancer. To date, treatment personalization for patients with HPV-positive OPCs is mainly based on deintensification approaches. Research in both preclinical and clinical settings is actively ongoing and will deliver further insight into potential treatment options for patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal carcinoma.

Keywords:

Head and neck cancers , HPV , oropharynx , personalized treatment