[Expert consensus on neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma]

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) arises from the epithelium of the upper aerodigestive tract, and over half of the patients had already progressed to locally advanced stage at initial clinical presentation, with a poor prognosis. To improve organ preservation rates and reduce the risk of recurrence and metastasis, neoadjuvant therapy has emerged as an essential component of the comprehensive treatment for HNSCC. Neoadjuvant therapy can improve patients' quality of life and survival by downstaging tumors. Notably, the advent of immunotherapy targeting the immune checkpoint inhibitors has markedly enhanced the survival profiles of HNSCC patients. To further standardize the application of neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced HNSCC, the expert group systematically reviewed and evaluated the literature at home and abroad, and formulated the"Expert consensus on neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma". This consensus develops 28 recommendations from 5 aspects, including "multidisciplinary team (MDT) organization and management", "objectives, goals, and target population", "tumor assessment", "therapeutic regimen", and"adverse events management", aiming to provide references and guidance for clinical practice and research.