Multi-disciplinary therapies of malignant tumors in the oral and maxillofacial region and the head and neck / 中国医师杂志

ABSTRACT

Oral and maxillofacial/head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), is the sixth most common cancer in the world. To present, management of tumors of the oral cavity and the head and neck has evolved into an increasingly complex specialty , demanding expertise not only in various surgical disciplines, but also in allied specialties such as radiation oncology, medical oncology, endocrinology, nuclear medicine, diagnostic radiology, pathology, and maxillofacial prosthodontics. Surgery has been the mainstay of therapy for cancers in the oral cavity and the head and neck for more than a century. With the introduction of ionizing radiation in the latter half of the 20th century, radiotherapy became an important modality used either independently or in combination with surgery. Although initially chemotherapy was used primarily with palliative intent, it is now used as part of curative treatment approaches when combined with radiation, producing significant responses in patient with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity and the head and neck. Similarly, biological or targeted agents are also evolving to become part of standard therapy. Accordingly understanding and implementing multidisciplinary management strategies are cornerstones for achieving optimal therapeutic outcomes.