Overview: The pathobiology of head and neck cancer

Squamous cell cancers arising in the head and neck, from the nasopharynx to the subglottic larynx, are frequently devastating cancers that afflict patients around the world. Early stage cancers are readily cured with surgery or radiation. In contrast, locally advanced or metastatic cancers require morbid multimodality therapy and nonetheless have high recurrence rates. As this book addresses this difficult disease, it has three main goals. First, it seeks to provide an introduction to the etiology and subclasses of squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHNs), in the context of how these differences affect prognosis. Second, it attempts to summarize the current state of understanding of the genetic, epigenetic, and protein expression changes associated with the various classes of SCCHN. Third, it seeks to define potential therapeutic targets for improved management of the disease in the future.