New Scenarios in Pharmacological Treatments of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) encompasses a variety of tumors developing in the head and neck region, mainly affecting the oral cavity. The past decades have seen little advancement in the understanding of the biological basis of HNSCC, which strongly hampered the development of novel, more effective treatments. Here, we summarize the current therapies available for the treatment of HNSCC and give an overview of new models for screening and testing emerging therapeutic approaches. ABSTRACT: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most frequent types of cancer with a lethal outcome in half of the diagnosed cases. Mostly, HNSCC develops in the oral cavity, and its development is associated with tobacco and areca nut/betel quid usage, alcohol consumption, and HPV infection. Oral squamous cell carcinoma, as other head and neck cancers, presents a high degree of intratumor heterogeneity, which makes their treatment difficult, and directly correlates with drug resistance. Since the classical treatments for HNSCC oftentimes do not resolve the clinical picture, there is great need for novel therapeutic approaches, models for drug testing, and new drug delivery systems.