Dr. Haraf on Induction Chemotherapy With Radiation For Advanced Head and Neck Cancer

Daniel Haraf, MD, professor of radiation and cellular oncology, medical director, radiation oncology, The University of Chicago Medicine, discusses the benefits of induction chemotherapy with radiation for advanced head and neck cancer.

Historically, when treating advanced head and neck cancer, radiation oncologists have treated both the gross disease and the microscopic disease, said Haraf. Frequently this involves treating the entire head and neck, which can have significant side effects for patients.

A recent study demonstrated that induction chemotherapy can be used to address microscopic disease in the head and neck and predict how much radiation is required. In patients that received that received induction chemotherapy where the cancer shrunk by over 50%, no elective nodal radiation was needed.

This was practice-changing, says Haraf.