Head and Neck Cancer Recurrence: Diagnosis, Treatment and Prognosis (2nd Edition)
A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Therapy".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 October 2026 | Viewed by 1069
Special Issue Editor
Interests: head & neck cancer; surgery; clinical oncology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Head and neck (HN) cancer, which mainly presents in the form of squamous cell carcinoma, was the seventh most common cancer worldwide in 2018, with approximately 890,000 new cases and 450,000 deaths. Its incidence is rising in both less-developed countries, due to the increased exposure to classical risk factors (tobacco smoking and alcohol), as well as in high-income nations, due to the spread of high-risk serotypes of human papillomavirus (HPV-16 and HPV-18). Survival rates range from 70% to 80% at five years for early HN cancer (i.e., with neither nodal metastasis at presentation nor evidence of extra-organ extension) to an estimated overall survival of 30–40% at advanced stages. Unfortunately, the latter is the most common clinical presentation, and recent studies from the USA showed that the age-adjusted incidence rates for stage IV HN cancer have significantly increased by 26.1% over the last two decades.
Overall, 50% to 60% of these patients develop a loco-regional recurrence within 2 years. In addition, 20% to 30% develop distant metastases. Primary risk is about 2% to 4% per year, representing a rate of about 10% to 20% overall lifetime risk.
Recurrent HN cancer can form at or near the original site of the tumor (recurrent locoregional cancer) or at distant sites throughout the body (recurrent metastatic cancer). As with all forms of cancer, the outcomes for head and neck cancer recurrences can be significantly improved with early detection and prompt treatment; however, the prognosis overall remains poor.
Depending on the type and location of the HN cancer recurrence, an individualized treatment plan may include surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, or more frequently, a multimodal approach that incorporates some or all of the above. Despite the high rate of HN cancer failures, few reports have extensively investigated the specific problems linked to the diagnosis, staging, treatment, and prognosis of HN recurrence. The great majority of available studies focus on newly diagnosed HN cancer. Furthermore, specific problems must be considered when treating an HN cancer recurrence following a surgical failure vs. a radiotherapy-relapsed case and when the recurrence is limited to the primary site or to the neck. Another crucial point is the HN primary tumor site, not only in terms of risk of recurrence but also because of different therapeutic approaches required.
Altogether, I believe that a Special Issue on “Head and neck cancer recurrence: Diagnosis, Treatment and Prognosis” would represent an interesting and innovative work including potential contributions from scientists such as radiologists, pathologists, oncologists, head and neck surgeons, and radiotherapists, who are frequently involved in multispecialty teams of experts for the treatment of HN cancer recurrence.
Prof. Dr. Oreste Gallo
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- head and neck cancer
- recurrence
- squamous cell carcinoma
- HPV
- larynx
- oral cavity
- oropharynx
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