Personalizing Head and Neck Cancer Care
A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Survivorship and Quality of Life".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 17 July 2026 | Viewed by 3069
Special Issue Editors
Interests: head and neck cancer; personalized treatment; shared decision making; prehabilitation; prediction; frailty; targeted therapy; surgery
Interests: head and neck oncology; geriatric oncology; sarcopenia; health care pathway
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Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
An important development in head and neck cancer research lies in personalizing cancer care. Patients with head and neck cancer are at high risk of physical, functional, and psychosocial deterioration and are thus considered vulnerable. They are at high risk of malnutrition, are often sarcopenic, and are generally frailer than patients with other solid malignancies. Identifying frail patients suitable for complex treatments or requiring treatment adaptation is paramount.
Prediction models and intervention trials aid us in shared decision-making and individualizing treatment. Shared decision-making models are rising in prominence and enable patients to play an active role in shaping their treatment plans. Models should not only address physical aspects of well-being but also functional aspects and overall and disease-specific quality of life.
Advances in personalized treatment strategies include targeted therapies, immunotherapy, and adaptive radiation techniques, as well as prehabilitation programs addressing nutrition, physical exercise, and psychosocial interventions.
Lastly, innovations in monitoring head and neck cancer help to personalize follow-up. Developments include tumor mutational burden and circulating tumor DNA, as well as the use of telecommunication and telemedicine.
Dr. Inge Wegner
Dr. G. B. Halmos
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- head and neck cancer
- personalized treatment
- targeted therapy
- prehabilitation
- quality of life
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