Molecular Characterization of Head and Neck Cancer: How Close to Personalized Targeted Therapy?

摘要

Molecular targeted therapy in squamous head and neck cancer (HNSCC) continues to make strides and holds much promise. Cetuximab remains the sole FDA-approved molecular targeted therapy available for HNSCC, though there are several new biological agents targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and other pathways in the regulatory approval pipeline. While targeted therapies have the potential to be personalized, their current use in HNSCC is not personalized. This is illustrated for EGFR targeted drugs, where EGFR as a molecular target has yet to be individualized for HNSCC. Future research needs to identify factors that correlate with response (or lack of one) and the underlying genotype-phenotype relationship that dictates this response. Comprehensive exploration of genetic and epigenetic landscapes in HNSCC is opening new frontiers to further enlighten, mechanistically inform, and set a course for eventually translating these discoveries into therapies for patients. This opinion offers a snap shot of the evolution of molecular subytping in HNSCC, its current clinical applicability, as well as new emergent paradigms with implications for controlling this disease in the future.