Head and neck cancer (HNC) includes various malignancies and represents the seventh most common cancer worldwide. The early diagnosis of HNC results in a 70–90% five-year survival rate, which declines with locally advanced stages of disease. Current care employs a multimodal strategy encompassing surgery, radiation therapy (RT), chemotherapy, and immunotherapy, while treatment options vary according to the stage, tumor features, and patient characteristics. About 75% of patients with HNC will benefit from RT, either as a primary treatment or as adjuvant therapy following surgical resection. Technological improvements in RT, such as intensity-modulated RT (IMRT) and image-guided RT (IGRT), have enhanced tumor targeting and minimized adjacent healthy tissue irradiation while also expanding RT to the recurrent or metastatic setting. Innovative therapeutic strategies for HNC integrate RT with immunotherapy, gene therapy, molecular targeted therapy, photodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy, and nanoparticles (NPs), with the objective of optimizing tumor control while reducing damage to normal tissues. NPs are emerging as possible radiosensitizers in HNC treatment, enhancing the efficacy of RT, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. In vivo and in vitro studies on the irradiation of tumors containing gold (Au), gadolinium (Gd), and hafnium oxide (HfO2) NPs show promising results in enhancing tumor destruction and survival rates, indicating their potential for clinical application. Hyperthermia, investigated as an adjunct treatment, potentially improves outcomes when combined with RT or chemotherapy, with advancements in nanotechnology renewing interest in this approach in HNC. At present, NBTXR3 is the sole NP that is being investigated in clinical trials for the enhancement of HNC RT.
头颈癌（HNC）涵盖多种恶性肿瘤，是全球第七大常见癌症。早期诊断可使患者五年生存率达到70%-90%，而随着疾病进入局部晚期阶段，生存率显著下降。目前临床采用多模式治疗策略，包括手术、放射治疗（RT）、化疗和免疫治疗，具体方案根据疾病分期、肿瘤特征及患者个体情况而定。约75%的HNC患者可从放射治疗中获益，无论是作为主要治疗手段还是手术切除后的辅助治疗。放射治疗技术的进步，如调强放射治疗（IMRT）和图像引导放射治疗（IGRT），在提升肿瘤靶向精准度的同时减少了对邻近健康组织的照射，并将放射治疗的应用范围扩展至复发或转移性病灶。针对HNC的创新治疗策略将放射治疗与免疫治疗、基因治疗、分子靶向治疗、光动力疗法、光热疗法及纳米颗粒（NPs）相结合，旨在优化肿瘤控制的同时减少对正常组织的损伤。纳米颗粒作为潜在的放射增敏剂，在HNC治疗中展现出增强放射治疗、化疗及免疫治疗效果的作用。针对含有金（Au）、钆（Gd）和氧化铪（HfO2）纳米颗粒的肿瘤进行的体内外照射研究显示，这些材料在增强肿瘤破坏效果和提高生存率方面具有良好前景，显示出临床应用的潜力。热疗作为辅助治疗手段的研究表明，其与放射治疗或化疗联合应用可能改善治疗效果，纳米技术的进步使该疗法在HNC领域重新受到关注。目前，NBTXR3是唯一进入临床试验阶段、用于增强HNC放射治疗效果的纳米颗粒。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家