Head and Neck Cancer Clinical Program

The Medical Oncology Head and Neck Clinical Program provides compassionate multidisciplinary care that is informed by research into the most effective therapies for head and neck cancer. Penn physicians conduct clinical research and other investigations to improve the ability to diagnose and treat patients with all types of head and neck malignancies. It is through such research that clinicians improve current treatment and develop future cancer treatments and care.

Penn physicians conduct a variety of ongoing clinical research studies in head and neck cancer, usually in close collaboration with other departments including Radiation Oncology, Otorhinolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery and the Penn Center for Head and Neck Cancer.

These studies include:

• Assessment of new therapies for all stages of disease, including studies combining surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, immunotherapy.
• Assessment of new experimental agents for the treatment of patients with very advanced head and neck cancer, including phase 1 clinical trials.
• Quality-of-life studies.
• Analysis of tissue, blood, and tumor samples to better understand the biology of head and neck cancer and relationship to patient outcomes.

Medical oncologists involved in the management of head and neck cancer include:

• Charu Aggarwal, MD, MPH 
• Christine A. Ciunci, MD, MSCE 
• Roger B. Cohen, MD 
• Lee Hartner, MD
• John A. Kosteva, MD
• Corey J. Langer, MD
• Aditi P. Singh, MD