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Expert Lecture

Head and Neck Surgery

Practical Considerations for Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy in Head Neck Cancer: Not as Easy as It Sounds

Sunday, October 18, 2026
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM PT
Location: 515A

    Lead Presenter(s)

  • Jeffrey C. Liu, MD

    Attending Physician
    Specialty Physician Associates/Bethlehem ENT Associates
    Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States

    • Co-Presenter(s)

  • SW

    Steven J. Wang, MD

    Professor and Chair
    University of Arizona
    Tucson, Arizona, United States

Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy has offered an exciting concept to improve cancer care for mucosal SCC and cSCC. While the data is exciting to explore and discuss, practical implementation is far from as easy as it would seem. Attendees will learn about practical considerations for implementation of neoadjuvant immunotherapy in practice. Topics to be explored include: nuances to patient selection, performing response adapted surgery, and workflow/communication considerations for multidisciplinary teams.

Learning Objectives:

  • Review contemporary data and clinical approaches regarding neoadjuvant immunotherapy, with a specific focus on KEYNOTE-689, Gross et al (NEJM), and HN014.
  • Evaluate practical considerations for patient selection to ensure high treatment adherence and optimal oncologic outcomes.
  • Identify and mitigate challenges within multidisciplinary teams when implementing neoadjuvant immunotherapy protocols in diverse practice settings.