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Critical Issues in Head and Neck Oncology pp 15–26Cite as

Cellular and Molecular Pathology in Head and Neck Cancer

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Abstract

This chapter aims to provide an update on advances in cellular and molecular pathology in relation to head and neck oncology practice. Recent key changes to guidelines, minimum datasets and the revised WHO classification are discussed. Molecular sequencing has shed new light onto the subtype classification of head and neck cancer, and has also revealed marked heterogeneity between the immunological characteristics of head and neck and other cancer types. Immunotherapy is an expanding area and the laboratory issues around companion biomarker testing are discussed. The importance of stromal factors including cancer associated fibroblasts and extracellular matrix molecules is increasingly recognised and stromal prognostic factors such as fibroblast type and the presence of tenascin and fibronectin in the matrix are described. The role of digital pathology is discussed and the way that advances in imaging may provide better prognostic information through better understanding of tumour infiltrating lymphocytes by multiplex staining. Advances in salivary tumour diagnostics are covered, including recently discovered fusion genes and their application to oncological pathology practice.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. EPSRC/MRC Newcastle Molecular Pathology Node, Department of Cellular Pathology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

    Phil Sloan & Max Robinson

  2. Centre for Oral Health Research, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

    Max Robinson

Authors
  1. Phil Sloan
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  2. Max Robinson
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Correspondence to Phil Sloan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Oncology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium

    Jan B. Vermorken

  2. Department of Radiation Oncology, Charité University Medicine, Berlin, Germany

    Volker Budach

  3. Department of Otolaryngology , VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    C. René Leemans

  4. Institut Roi Albert II, Université Catholique de Louvain , Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Jean-Pascal Machiels

  5. Department of Otorhinolarynology, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy

    Piero Nicolai

  6. Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Brian O'Sullivan

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Sloan, P., Robinson, M. (2018). Cellular and Molecular Pathology in Head and Neck Cancer. In: Vermorken, J., Budach, V., Leemans, C., Machiels, JP., Nicolai, P., O'Sullivan, B. (eds) Critical Issues in Head and Neck Oncology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98854-2_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98854-2_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-98853-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-98854-2

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