The emerging era of personalized therapy in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Over the past three decades there has been a move toward organ preservation protocols in the management of locally advanced mucosal head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (LAHNSCC) with combinations of radiotherapy (RT), chemotherapy and, more recently, biological agents. Current standard chemoradiation strategies have reached the upper limits of toxicity. In addition, the traditional one size fits all approach of grouping patients according to traditional clinicopathological features fails to take into account the vast underlying biological heterogeneity of tumors and their host. A number of recent advances such as highly conformal RT, molecular profiling and targeted agents, and improvements in treatment response assessment have set the scene for a fundamental paradigm shift toward greater tailoring of therapy with the aim of improving outcomes and reducing the burden of survivorship. This review focuses on the recognition of the prognostic value of tumor human papillomavirus (HPV) status, the incorporation of biologically targeted therapies and the evolving role of molecular imaging in predicting tumor response and prognosis in the curative management of LAHNSCC.