ABSTRACT
On the basis of the changing tendency in the sense considering tumors as a kind of chronic and systematic disease and the integrating trend of somatic mutation theory with the one of field cancerization, this paper focuses on the limitations of current therapeutic ideas and strategies in head and neck tumors. It also describes the influence of the modern view of oncogenesis for future treatment and the developing drift of therapies in this field. Although most tumors in the head and neck region are solid ones, their tumorogenesis should be considered as the final event of systemic dysfunction under the consideration of holistic view and systems theory. Through reasonable integration of unique advantages derived from various modern therapies at a much higher level of personalized diagnosis and treatment view, patients with head and neck tumors are expected to survive with much better long-term therapeutic effects and much higher quality of life following treatment.