Dr. Cohen on Future Research Directions in Head and Neck Cancer

Ezra Cohen, MD, FRCPSC, FASCO, a medical oncologist and chief of the Division of Hematology-Oncology at the University of California, San Diego Health, discusses future research directions for the treatment of patients with head and neck cancer.

There are several areas in head and neck cancer where research efforts need to be focused, including those with locally advanced disease, according to Cohen. As the majority of patients with head and neck cancer develop locally advanced disease, research may have the greatest impact on the natural history of the disease in this area, Cohen says.

Immunotherapy will likely play a role in this patient population, however, it will not be simple to integrate. An imaginative approach will be necessary in order to strategically incorporate these agents into established treatment regimens, Cohen explains. Currently, ongoing studies are examining immunotherapy in locally advanced head and neck cancer and could still read out with positive data, Cohen concludes.