Hypoxia in head and neck cancer

Abstract

Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common malignancy worldwide and a major cause of death from cancer, with a median 5-year survival of around 50% (Suh et al. 2014). Over 90% are squamous cell carcinomas arising from the epithelial cells that line the mucosal surfaces of the head and neck. Tumour hypoxia is an important negative prognostic factor for head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), associated with resistance to radiotherapy and decreased overall survival (Bittner and Grosu 2013). Therefore, tumour hypoxia is an important phenomenon in the management of HNSCC and has been the focus of studies to improve treatment response for many years. This chapter aims to discuss some of the key mechanisms affected by tumour hypoxia and review strategies under investigation towards better detection and modulation of tumour hypoxia in order to improve treatment response and survival of head and neck cancer patients.