Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) overexpression is common in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Targeted therapy specifically directed towards EGFR has been an area of keen interest in head and neck cancer research, as EGFR is potentially an integration point for convergent signaling. Despite the latest advancements in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics against EGFR, the survival rates of patients with advanced head and neck cancer remain disappointing due to anti-EGFR resistance. This review article will discuss recent multilateral efforts to discover and validate actionable strategies that involve signaling pathways in heterogenous head and neck cancer and to overcome anti-EGFR resistance in the era of precision medicine. Particularly, this review will discuss in detail the issue of cancer metabolism, which has recently emerged as a novel mechanism by which head and neck cancer may be successfully controlled according to different perspectives.

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy has gained attention as a method of minimizing the extent of neck dissection with a similar survival rate as elective neck dissection in oral cancer. Indocyanine green (ICG) imaging is widely used in the field of surgical oncology. Real-time ICG-guided SLN imaging has been widely used in minimally invasive surgeries for various types of cancers. Here, we provide an overview of conventional SLN biopsy and ICG-guided SLN mapping techniques for oral cancer. Although ICG has many strengths, it still has limitations regarding its potential use as an ideal compound for SLN mapping. The development of novel fluorophores and imaging technology is needed for accurate identification of SLNs, which will allow precision surgery that would reduce morbidities and increase patient survival.

// <![CDATA[ $('.header-date').hide();$('#titleAuthors').hide();$('#abstractHeader').hide(); // ]]> Hyung Kwon Byeon1, Hwi Jung Na1, Yeon Ju Yang1, Sooah Ko1, Sun Och Yoon2, Minhee Ku3, 4, Jaemoon Yang3, 5, Jae Wook Kim6, Myung Jin Ban6, Ji-Hoon Kim7, Da Hee Kim1, Jung Min Kim1, Eun Chang Choi1, Chang-Hoon Kim1, 8, Joo-Heon Yoon1, 8, 9, Yoon Woo Koh1, 8 1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea 2Department of Pathology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea 3Department of Radiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea 4Brain Korea 21 Plus Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea 5YUHS-KRIBB Medical Convergence Research Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea 6Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Republic of Korea 7Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Republic of Korea 8The Airway Mucus Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea 9Research Center for Human Natural Defense System, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea Correspondence to: Yoon Woo Koh, email: ywkohent@yuhs.ac Keywords: thyroid cancer, molecular targeted therapy, drug resistance, BRAF mutation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition Received: September 23, 2016 Accepted: November 12, 2016 Published: November 21, 2016