[Combined modality approaches in the treatment of head and neck cancer patients]

The survival rate in patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) has improved considerably over the past 50 years. This is due not only to changes in anesthetic techniques, but also to the fact that combinations of various therapeutic approaches are more common than they used to be. It is generally accepted that patients with advanced carcinomas require combined modality treatment. It has yet to be established which modality is best to use as the primary treatment. Approaches that begin with radiotherapy or chemotherapy were the most commonly used for a while, but indications are now increasingly being seen that primary surgery leads to good results. Moreover, the use of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) antibody cetuximab has recently been playing an increasingly important role.