Head and Neck Cancer Most head and neck cancers (73% in the United States) are now related to human papillomavirus infection rather than tobacco and alcohol. Primary cancers are largely squamous-ce...

https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMra1715715

Head and Neck Cancer

The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Head and Neck Cancers provide treatment recommendations for cancers of the lip, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, ethmoid and maxillary sinuses, and salivary glands. Recommendations are also provided for occult primary of the head and neck (H&N), and separate algorithms have been developed by the panel for very advanced H&N cancers. These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize the panel's discussion and most recent recommendations regarding the increase in human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal cancer and the availability of immunotherapy agents for treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic H&N cancer.

/pdf/nccn-guidelines-insights-head-and-neck-cancers-version-2-2luc0eccft.pdf

NCCN Guidelines Insights: Head and Neck Cancers, Version 2.2017

Keratinocyte Carcinomas Squamous-cell and basal-cell carcinomas of the skin are increasing in frequency. Basal-cell carcinomas are responsive to inhibition of the hedgehog pathway; squamous-cell ca...

Update on Keratinocyte Carcinomas

Epidemiology and Demographics of the Head and Neck Cancer Population.

Objective The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature to determine: (a) the malignant transformation rate (TR) of oral lichen planus (OLP) and its risk factors; (b) whether or not oral lichenoid lesions (OLL) have a different malignant TR. Materials and methods PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were used as search engines: only observational, full-length, English language studies were investigated. PRISMA protocol was used to evaluate and present results. PROSPERO registration code is CRD42016048529. Results Among 7,429 records screened, only 21 were included in this review. Ninety-two of 6,559 patients developed oral squamous cell carcinoma, with an overall TR of 1.40% (1.37% for OLP and 2.43% for OLL), an annual TR of 0.20%. Female gender, red clinical forms, and tongue site seem to slightly increase the transformation risk. Conclusions This systematic review confirms that both OLP and OLL, the latter with a slightly higher TR, may be considered potentially malignant disorders and suggest that erosive type, female gender and tongue site should be considered as risk factors for OLP transformation. Major efforts should be done to establish strict clinical and histological criteria to diagnose OLP and to perform sounder methodological observational studies.

Rate of malignant transformation of oral lichen planus: A systematic review.

Answer questions and earn CME/CNE The recently released eighth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Staging Manual, Head and Neck Section, introduces significant modifications from the prior seventh edition. This article details several of the most significant modifications, and the rationale for the revisions, to alert the reader to evolution of the field. The most significant update creates a separate staging algorithm for high-risk human papillomavirus-associated cancer of the oropharynx, distinguishing it from oropharyngeal cancer with other causes. Other modifications include: the reorganizing of skin cancer (other than melanoma and Merkel cell carcinoma) from a general chapter for the entire body to a head and neck-specific cutaneous malignancies chapter; division of cancer of the pharynx into 3 separate chapters; changes to the tumor (T) categories for oral cavity, skin, and nasopharynx; and the addition of extranodal cancer extension to lymph node category (N) in all but the viral-related cancers and mucosal melanoma. The Head and Neck Task Force worked with colleagues around the world to derive a staging system that reflects ongoing changes in head and neck oncology; it remains user friendly and consistent with the traditional tumor, lymph node, metastasis (TNM) staging paradigm. CA Cancer J Clin 2017;67:122-137. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.3322/caac.21389

Margaret S. Brandwein

Papers

Head and Neck cancers—major changes in the American Joint Committee on cancer eighth edition cancer staging manual