Advances in Multimodal Treatment for Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer: Neoadjuvant Therapy, Surgery, and Radiotherapy De-Escalation
A Special Issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694) belonging to the section "Cancer Therapy".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 152
Editors
Interests: otorhinolaryngology; head and neck cancer
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Local regionally advanced head and neck cancer remains challenging due to their aggressive behavior, high recurrence risk, and impact on organ function. Multimodal treatment is typically required, but optimal strategies are still evolving. Over the past few years, neoadjuvant therapy, especially including immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted agents, has emerged as a promising approach to downstage tumors, increase resectability, and improve organ preservation in the locally advanced setting.
However, several key questions remain. How do we select optimal neoadjuvant regimens for different subsites? What are the best surgical approaches after neoadjuvant treatment? Can radiotherapy de‑escalation be safely applied in locally advanced HPV‑related oropharyngeal cancers without compromising efficacy? Which clinical or molecular factors predict favorable outcomes or resistance? Answering these questions is essential to move toward personalized de‑escalation or escalation strategies.
This Special Issue aims to highlight recent clinical progress in the management of locally advanced head and neck cancer. We invite original research, reviews, and clinical communications that focus on
- Neoadjuvant immunotherapy or chemotherapy;
- Surgical techniques and timing after neoadjuvant therapy;
- Radiotherapy de‑escalation (especially in oropharyngeal cancer) and its efficacy;
- Treatment de‑escalation/escalation explorations and long‑term prognosis;
- Predictive biomarkers for treatment response and survival.
By bringing together cutting‑edge clinical evidence, this Special Issue will serve as a valuable resource for oncologists, head and neck surgeons, and radiation therapists seeking to improve patient outcomes.
Prof. Dr. Liang Zhou
Dr. Hongli Gong
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- head and neck cancer
- neoadjuvant therapy
- immunotherapy
- organ preservation
- radiotherapy de‑escalation
- predictive biomarkers
- prognosis
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
