Critical Issues in Head and Neck Oncology

There have been several recent reviews of biomarkers in relation to head and neck cancer [1-4] and although many markers show a degree of utility, none have so far translated into routine practice, apart from p16 testing for oro-pharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma [5] and PDL-1 prior to the administration of nivolumab or pembrolizumab in recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma [6]. Modern cellular pathology laboratories do routinely use a wide range of diagnostic biomarkers for immunohistochemical and molecular testing of biopsy material, however. Quality assurance is important, both for the laboratory processes and the interpretative diagnostic skills of the pathologist when using biomarkers [7]. For many types of cancer, accredited testing is routinely performed to guide therapy, but in head and neck cancer, such testing is only slowly fnding applications.
[2022]

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