Combined chemotherapy and radiation in the treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancers.

Locally advanced head and neck cancers carry a poor prognosis because of a high rate of loco-regional recurrences as well as a high incidence of distant metastases. Standard therapy has been surgery followed by radiation therapy. Recent studies showed an improved survival rate when chemotherapy was added to radiation. The goal of this article is to provide a practical overview of the clinical trials using chemotherapy as a radiosensitizer for locally advanced head and neck malignancies. The rationale of using chemotherapy in combination with radiation is also discussed.