Innovative Approaches and Case Reports in Head and Neck Cancer (including Thyroid Cancer)

Head and neck cancers (HNC), including thyroid malignancies, represent a highly heterogeneous group of diseases that require a multidisciplinary approach and continued therapeutic innovation. This article collection aims to highlight emerging strategies that may help address the challenges faced by patients with HNC, including morbidity related both to the disease itself and to its treatment, as well as intercurrent comorbidities, impaired quality of life, functional problems caused by the disease or its treatment, and treatment resistance leading to recurrences and metastatic disease which in some cases may already be present at initial presentation.In radiotherapy, several evolving modalities are reshaping the therapeutic landscape. Intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) offers the potential for superior normal tissue sparing, and magnetic resonance-guided adaptive radiotherapy (MRgART) enables daily treatment adaptation and improved soft-tissue visualization. However, issues of access and cost remain important considerations. Other promising approaches include FLASH radiotherapy, stereotactic body radiotherapy/stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SBRT/SABR), spatially fractionated radiotherapy (SFRT), functional imaging-guided dose painting, and radiosensitizing treatment combinations, each with distinct advantages and limitations. Innovation is also evident in surgery. Robotic and endoscopic techniques are expanding minimally invasive options for selected tumors, while advances in reconstructive surgery are improving postoperative function and quality of life. In parallel, image-guided technologies are enhancing intraoperative precision and enabling better margin assessment and anatomical navigation. These developments help optimize the delicate balance between oncologic radicality and functional outcomes, such as the preservation of speech, swallowing, and appearance. In parallel, systemic therapy is moving forward, not only beyond traditional cytotoxic drugs but also beyond monotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors, for example using antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and multispecific antibodies. In addition, novel immunotherapy combinations are of growing interest. Finally, irrespective of treatment modality, intensive biomarker research is of utmost importance to achieve the goal of personalized and highly targeted approaches.For thyroid cancer, particularly noteworthy innovations are those that reduce treatment invasiveness while improving outcomes in advanced disease. These include robotic and transoral scarless surgical approaches, active surveillance for appropriately selected low-risk cases, and local ablative methods such as radiofrequency ablation. At the same time, molecularly targeted therapies, including agents such as selpercatinib and dabrafenib/trametinib, have been transforming the management of selected genomically defined thyroid cancers.In this article collection, we welcome original research, reviews, perspectives, and illustrative case reports that reflect the contemporary breadth of innovation in local and systemic treatments and show how it can be translated into meaningful benefit for patients. Topic editors: Jan Baptist Vermorken, Pierluigi Bonomo, Andreas Dietz, Petr Szturz Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79375/innovative-approaches-and-case-reports-in-head-and-neck-cancer-including-thyroid-cancer