Monoclonal Antibodies as Treatment Modalities in Head and Neck Cancers

The standard treatments of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) causes disturbance to normal surrounding tissues, systemic toxicities and functional problems with eating, speaking, and breathing. With early detection, many of these cancers can be eff...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAIMS medical science Vol. 2; no. 4; pp. 347 - 359
Main Authors Radhakrishnan, Vivek, S. Swanson, Mark, K. Sinha, Uttam
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published AIMS Press 01.01.2015
Subjects
cisplatin
genome sequencing
hnscc, cetuximab
HPV tumors
immunotherapy
monoclonal antibodies
tumor antigens
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Summary:The standard treatments of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) causes disturbance to normal surrounding tissues, systemic toxicities and functional problems with eating, speaking, and breathing. With early detection, many of these cancers can be effectively treated, but treatment should also focus on retaining the function of the proximal nerves, tissues and vasculature surrounding the tumor. With current research focused on understanding pathogenesis of these cancers in a molecular level, targeted therapy using monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs), can be modified and directed towards tumor genes, proteins and signal pathways with the potential to reduce unfavorable side effects of current treatments. This review will highlight the current MoAb therapies used in HNSCC, and discuss ongoing research efforts to develop novel treatment agents with potential to improve efficacy, increase overall survival (OS) rates and reduce toxicities.
ISSN:2375-1576
DOI:10.3934/medsci.2015.4.347