Critical Issues in Head and Neck Oncology: Key Concepts from the Sixth THNO Meeting

This book provides an overview of the latest advances in head and neck cancer using a multidisciplinary approach. Commencing with a discussion of epidemiological and diagnostic aspects, including the role of vaccination and key pathological features, the book then follows by examining the role of oncogenomics, proteomics, next generation sequencing and homologous recombination function in predicting outcomes. The topics are presented by epidemiologists, pathologists and basic scientists with further contributions from medical oncologists, head and neck cancer surgical specialists (ORL /HNS), and radiation oncologists in chapters that discuss therapeutic approaches for oral, oropharyngeal and thyroid cancer. Special topics such as the development of novel staging classifications, optimal larynx preservation approaches for laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer, surgical reconstruction, new surgical approaches in oropharynx cancer, potential for treatment de-escalation, systemic therapy in nasopharyngeal cancer and salivary gland tumors and treatment approaches for tumors of unknown primary site are discussed in detail. Finally, the role of immunotherapy in the field is highlighted.

The chapters are based on the latest data presented at the 6th Trends in Head and Neck Oncology Conference and reflect the most up-to-date information in the field. They are written by many of the most internationally acclaimed authors in the field and are therefore an excellent source for all those interested or actively working in the field of head and neck cancer.

Prof. Jan B. Vermorken started his medical training in 1961, graduated in 1970 from the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and became a board-certified specialist in internal medicine in 1975. Since that time he has worked in the field of Medical Oncology and was officially registered as a Medical Oncologist in the Netherlands in 1992. He received his PhD in Medical Sciences in 1986 from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam.  From May 1997 until October 1, 2009, he was appointed Professor of Oncology at the University of Antwerp (UA), and head of the Department of Medical Oncology at the University Hospital Antwerp (UZA), in Edegem, Belgium. After his retirement he remains connected to both University (Emeritus Professor) and University Hospital (consultant).

His main fields of interest are head and neck oncology and gynecologic oncology. He chaired both the Head and Neck Cancer Group (2006-2009) and the Gynecologic Cancer Group (1983-1989) of the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of cancer (EORTC). He was founding chair of the Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup (GCIG: 1997-2003) and strongly involved in establishing the Head and Neck Cancer International Group (HNCIG) in 2015.   He devotes a large part of his time to teaching, professional training, and continuing medical education.

Professor Vermorken is member of various scientific societies, member of several editorial boards of International journals, reviewer of multiple cancer journals and author or co-author of 700 publications. He was Editor-in-Chief of Annals of Oncology from 2009 to 2014 and is chief editor of the head and neck cancer section of The Oncologist (since 2003), and the head and neck section of Frontiers in Oncology (since 2015), is editorial chair of ONCOhemato (multidisciplinary journal; since 2007) in Belgium and chairs Oncotherapie (an internet platform) in The Netherlands (since 2007) . He received the ESMO award in 2007 and on March 1, 2013 he received the title of Commander in the Order of Leopold for his contributions to oncology.

Jean-Pascal Machiels MD, PhD, is head of department of medical oncology and a member of the directory board of the oncology center, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels Belgium. He trained at Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, where he gained his MD  in 1993 and his PhD in 2001  and at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore USA, where he was a Fellow in Medical Oncology  from 1998 until 2000,. His main interests include Head and Neck cancer, and phase 1 clinical trials. He has published more than one hundred papers reporting on clinical trials and translational research. 

Volker Budach is Head of the Depts. for Radiation Oncology at the Charité University Medicine Berlin. He became a board certified radiation oncologist at the University of Essen in 1985 and was appointed as full professor and chair of the Dept. for Radiation Oncology at the Charité University Clinics in 1993. He was board member and treasurer of the ESTRO during 1996 and 2004 and chairman of the EORTC-Radiooncology Group during 2000-2003, followed by the chairmanship of the EORTC Clinical Research Division and member of the EORTC Executive committee from 2003 – 2006. He was president of the German Society for Radiation Oncology from 2007-2009. Currently he holds the head position of the Center for Tumor Medicine at the Charité. He actively organized and supported diverse interdisciplinary national and international meetings with the topic of head and neck cancer and is also member of the European Head and Neck Society. He has a long-standing record as PI for three German multicentric trials comprising more than 800 patients. He is founding and current board member of the German Head and Neck Clinical Trialists’ Collaborative Group. He is a highly distinguished and internationally well-known expert in head and neck cancer with more than 300 publications cited in Pubmed

Professor C. René Leemans, MD, PhD is chair of the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at the VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam since 2002. His special interests include head and neck oncology, reconstructive and microvascular surgery, and basic research. René Leemans has made a sustained and internationally recognized contribution to cancer care and research in the field of head and neck oncology over the past decades. He has published over 350 papers in high profile journals and is regularly invited to speak at international conferences and tutor at courses. He also serves on the editorial board of nine peer-reviewed journals.

Professor O’Sullivan is the Bartley-Smith/Wharton Chair in Radiation Oncology and leader of the Head and Neck Program at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto. He is the Co-chair of the Head and Neck Steering committee of the US National Cancer Institute and Editor-in-Chief of the UICC Manual of Clinical Oncology. He is Chair of the UICC Prognostic Factors Classification Committee,  and Chair of the UICC Head and Neck Committee, co-editor of the UICC TNM Classification of Malignant Tumours and Liaison the AJCC Expert Committee on Head and Neck Cancer.  Professor O’Sullivan has received multiple awards and honors for his work, has lectured extensively throughout the world, and has published over 370 peer-review papers.

Piero Nicolai was born in 1954. Since 2006 he is serving as Chairman of the Unit of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at ASST Spedali Civili Brescia - University of Brescia (Italy). In 2016 he has also been appointed Head of the Department of Surgery at ASST Spedali Civili Brescia and Rector’s Delegate for relations with Brescia Health Care System of the University of Brescia. He received his MD degree at the University of Padua, where he completed his residency programme in Otolaryngology, and subsequently in Medical Oncology. His clinical and research activities are mainly focused on head and neck oncology and endoscopic sinus and skull base surgery. Prof. Nicolai has authored or co-authored 245 papers in peer-reviewed journals as well as 57 book chapters. He was co-editor of a book on “Imaging in Treatment Planning for Sinonasal Diseases”, and Editor of 6 issues of Current Opinion in Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery on Head and Neck Oncology. He is a member of the editorial board of the journals Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology, Head and Neck, International Journal of Head & Neck Surgery, The Laryngoscope, Clinical Otolaryngology,and Associate Editor of Frontiers in Oncology – Head and Neck Cancer Section.