Head and Neck Cancer
Cancer comes second to cardiovascular diseases with regard to leading causes of death in the developed world. Despite advances in screening, education and early diagnosis, the global cancer burden continues to rise. This trend is set to continue due to an increasing shift towards an aging population with a high cancer risk. With about 2.6 million new cases diagnosed in Europe and the United States each year, cancer remains an area of high unmet medical need.
Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN), more commonly known as head and neck cancer, is an area of high unmet medical need. A significant increase in worldwide incidence of SCCHN has been seen over the past decade.
The estimated incidence of head and neck cancers in Europe is around 140,000 annually, with over 65,000 deaths per year.¹ Currently, median survival for patients with recurrent or metastatic disease is only about six months.²
Head and neck cancer at a glance:
- Head and neck cancers include epithelial tumors originating from any of the tissues or organs in the head and neck region except the eyes, brain, ears, thyroid and esophagus.
- Head and neck cancer can be particularly difficult for patients because the disease and surgical removal of the tumor affect the most visible parts of the body and usually have severe impact on day-to-day activities like eating, drinking, breathing, speaking and appearance
- Symptoms, which may be ignored by patients for a long time, commonly include:
- Unhealed mouth sores which persist for more
than two weeks - Lumps on the lips, mouth, or in the throat
- Difficulty in chewing or pain when swallowing
- Persistent sore throat
- A persistent blocked nose or nose bleeds
- Swelling in the neck or the jaw
- Prolonged hoarseness or a change in the voice
- Earache
- Limited protrusion of the tongue
- Pain in the face or upper jaw
- Unusual white (leukoplakia) or red (erythroplakia)
patches in the mouth
- Unhealed mouth sores which persist for more
- Head and neck cancers are strongly linked to tobacco and alcohol use.
- More than 90 percent of diagnosed head and neck cancers are of the squamous cell histology.
- EGFR expression is critical for SCCHN cell growth. EGFR is expressed in nearly all SCCHN tumors.
Merck Serono treatment options:
¹ GLOBOCAN. http://www-dep.iarc.fr/
² Argiris A et al. Cancer 2004; 101: 2222-2229
² Argiris A et al. Cancer 2004; 101: 2222-2229
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