Fitzgerald C, O'Neill JP. High-risk Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Int J Head Neck Surg 2017;8(2):37-44.

To examine the value of proton therapy in relation to other treatment modalities in head and neck cancer.

Proton therapy has evolved into more sophisticated and costly intensity-modulated proton therapy and has resulted in even greater dose reduction to normal critical structures at risk as compared with photon therapy. Early clinical studies in head and neck cancers, especially for tumors of the skull base and paranasal sinuses, suggest that proton therapy is excellent in terms of local control and is comparable to intensity-modulated radiation therapy photons but with lower rates of morbidity.

There are many potential advantages to radiation therapy with protons. While there are many single institution studies examining the added value of protons to photon therapy, the value of proton therapy must be examined in prospective randomized clinical studies and across many subsites of head and neck cancer. Additional evidence is necessary to guide efficient clinical practice, patient selection, and tumors that are most likely to benefit from this treatment modality and justify proton therapy use given its significant cost.

Katsoulakis E, Chernichenko N, Schreiber D. Proton Therapy in the Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer. Int J Head Neck Surg 2017;8(2):45-48.

Smith JD, Spector-Bagdady K, Shuman AG. Head and Neck Cancer Research Ethics: A Primer. Int J Head Neck Surg 2017;8(2):49-56.

Le MN, Lee E, Singh B. The Evolution of Staging of Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinomas: A Structured Review. Int J Head Neck Surg 2017;8(2):57-63.

Thompson C, Nixon IJ. Our Understanding of Well-differentiated Thyroid Cancer. Int J Head Neck Surg 2017;8(2):64-70.

Chernichenko N. Critical Update on Malignant Salivary Gland Neoplasms. Int J Head Neck Surg 2017;8(2):71-75.

Wreesmann VB. Role of Extracapsular Nodal Spread and Surgical Margin Status in defining High-risk Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma and its Treatment Intensity. Int J Head Neck Surg 2017;8(2):76-83.

To evaluate the existing body of literature and impact of depth of invasion (DOI) in early-stage oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) and its role in predicting occult cervical lymph node metastases.

The prognosis for early-stage T1 to T2 disease OCSCC is relatively poor compared with other mucosal subsites within the head and neck. Primary tumor DOI can help prognosticate high-risk tumors for additional treatment.

There are unequivocal management implications in the literature demonstrating a role for elective neck dissection in early-stage OCSCC based on DOI. Following appropriate patient selection, there may be a role for sentinel lymph node biopsy in regional lymph node staging in early-stage OCSCC.

There are a multitude of studies demonstrating novel strategies to appropriately treat early-stage OCSCC, which are increasingly becoming standard of care. These strategies are altering the overall and disease-free survival of early-stage OCSCC. Despite advances, locoregional recurrence remains a challenge in this disease.

Herein, the authors highlight a number of advances in the management of early-stage OCSCC as described in the literature, which are having an impact on disease-free and overall survival.

Shariat-Madar B, Liu JC. Role of Depth of Invasion in Evaluation and Management of Early-stage Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Int J Head Neck Surg 2017;8(2):84-88.