Treatment modalities and outcomes of Fanconi anemia patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: A series of 9 cases and review of the literature

Abstract

Background

Fanconi anemia (FA) is associated with an increased risk of developing head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) and presents a treatment dilemma due to concerns of increased toxicities from chemotherapy and radiation therapy (RT).

Methods

We reviewed the literature on HNSCC in FA patients and report on our experience treating 9 FA patients with HNSCC.

Results

Surgery was generally well‐tolerated and surgery alone resulted in durable local control for 2 patients. Four patients received adjuvant RT that was tolerable in most cases, although 1 patient required a treatment break and early cessation of RT. Three of the irradiated patients received concurrent cetuximab.

Conclusions

In patients with adverse features, adjuvant radiation with concurrent cetuximab may be feasible with careful monitoring, although local disease control is infrequent. Early detection via screening permitting a surgery‐alone approach represents the best opportunity for cure in FA patients with HSNCC.

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