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Surveillance and Monitoring Techniques for HPV-Related Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Circulating Tumor DNA

  • Head and Neck Cancer (JL Geiger, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Treatment Options in Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Opinion statement

Human papilloma virus (HPV) related head and neck cancer is rising in prevalence, preferentially affecting young patients and imparting long term toxicities. Despite this, there are no screening tests or clinical biomarkers for treatment monitoring. HPV circulating tumor DNA (HPV ctDNA) represents a novel circulating biomarker which may provide real-time assessment of tumor response to therapy and recurrence. Early work suggests the promise of this assay as a predictive biomarker in numerous clinical settings, namely risk of recurrence after chemoradiation in locally advanced disease. Advancement of these findings to the clinic will require a collaborative effort in the field, including technical harmonization of assay testing characteristics, understanding of the normal kinetics in patients being treated with standard of care therapies, and appropriately designed phase III trials prior to implementation in the clinic. If successful, HPV ctDNA has the potential to revolutionize clinical trial treatment paradigms and transform patient care.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Sarah M Dermody MD, Catherine T Haring MD & J Chad Brenner PhD

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Chandan Bhambhani PhD, Muneesh Tewari MD, PhD & Paul L Swiecicki MD

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Muneesh Tewari MD, PhD & Paul L Swiecicki MD

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Dermody, S.M., Haring, C.T., Bhambhani, C. et al. Surveillance and Monitoring Techniques for HPV-Related Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Circulating Tumor DNA. Curr. Treat. Options in Oncol. 22, 21 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11864-021-00821-8

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