Head & Neck Cancer

Here is a roundup of cancer treatments that were approved by the FDA in the spring of 2022 that patients may have missed.

Although much has changed in the past two decades, more needs to be done to prepare cancer survivors for what happens after their treatments end.

Avasopasem manganese is the first drug that has been shown to reduce the incidence and severity of chemotherapy-related oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer, research showed.

The Food and Drug Administration granted a fast track designation to PDS0101 plus Keytruda for the treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic HPV16-related head and neck cancer.

Head and neck cancer treatments and the subsequent side effects can be overwhelming for patients and their caregivers due to the impact they have on routine activities, writes a speech-language pathologist at Cancer Treatment Center of America Atlanta. However, the expert notes, there are plenty of specialists who can help improve patient quality of life.

The manufacturers of the drug plan to resubmit the request for the FDA to approve the regimen sometime this summer.

After surviving cancer and the many bad days that come with a diagnosis, voice actor Rob Paulsen noted that he had a newfound sense of empathy that helped him out of some of his darkest days.

When lovers of “Pinky and the Brain,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and other cartoons gathered in voice actor Rob Paulsen’s hospital room, he took particular notice of one exuberant woman with cancer who was extroverted and kind, despite not having long to live.

The Food and Drug Administration plans on reviewing multiple new cancer therapies this spring.

Over the last 20 years, head and neck cancer treatment moved away from aggressive treatments for all patients to a more personalized approach — improving both outcomes and quality of life for patients with the disease.

The rare cancer, known as adenoid cystic carcinoma, is diagnosed in fewer than 1,500 people in the United States each year and is often found in the salivary glands, a part of the body associated with helping a person swallow and digest food.

Aesthetic appearances, according to an expert at the UCSF, are often important for patients following the surgical treatment of cancer. Advancements in this space over the past 20 years have allowed many to patients to look as normal as possible.

The use of PET imaging midway through oropharynx treatment may help identify patients who can de-escalate their radiation without compromising tumor control.

The goal of the phase 2 trial is to study the safety and efficacy of ASP-1929, a photoimmunotherapy with fluorescence imaging, in patients with head and neck or skin cancer.

A speech and swallowing specialist recommends that patients with head and neck cancer who have difficulties chewing and swallowing food eat before attending social situations to mitigate anxiety about eating around others.

After preliminary results showed promise for the combination, researchers are expanding their clinical trial for PDS0101 plus Keytruda in HPV-related head and neck cancer.

A recent study demonstrated that a lower dose of radiation after surgery for HPV-related throat cancer may provide a greater benefit than a higher dose of radiation with chemotherapy.

A phase 2 trial was recently launched to examine the safety and efficacy of oral inhibitor VK-2019 in patients with advanced Epstein-Barr Virus-positive nasopharyngeal carcinoma, a rare type of head and neck cancer, and lymphoma.

Rob Paulsen is the voice behind many beloved cartoon characters, but after receiving a cancer diagnosis, he discovered a whole new way to relate to others.

On behalf of the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance, Dr. Michael Moore spoke with CURE® about emerging therapies that potentially offer exciting new options for the future.

The addition of a novel drug to the chemotherapies gemcitabine and cisplatin significantly improved a survival outcome in patients with a rare form of head and neck cancer, compared with chemotherapy alone.