Navigating the Immunotherapy Era in Head & Neck Cancer: Practical Implications for the Practicing Surgeon

Saturday, October 17, 2026

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM PT

Location: Concourse Hall 150 – 151

Moderator(s)

LM

Lauren E. Miller, MD MBA

Assistant Professor Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
Ohio State University
Columbus, OH, United States

Panelist(s)

Sidharth V. Puram, MD PhD

Lindburg Professor and Department Chair, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO, United States
MS

Matthew E. Spector, MD, FACS

Professor
University of Pittsburgh
Ann Arbor, MI, United States
Matthew J. Mifsud, MD

Associate Professor &Interim Chair, Chief Division of Head & Neck Oncology & Reconstructive Surgery
University of South Florida Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
Tampa, Florida, United States

Disclosure(s):

Lauren E. Miller, MD MBA:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

This panel will feature a multidisciplinary group of surgeon-oncologists with expertise in immunotherapy integration. Using short didactic segments and case-based discussion as well as audience Q&A, the session will focus on selecting surgical candidates after neoadjuvant or systemic therapy, when to operate vs delay, recognizing and managing immune-related adverse events that affect anesthesia and surgery, and practical coordination across oncology teams. The emphasis will be on practical decision-making and real-world scenarios rather than trial design or molecular mechanisms.

Learning Objectives:

Apply practical frameworks for selecting surgical candidates and timing surgery after immunotherapy exposure.
Recognize immune related adverse events relevant to perioperative care and outline initial management and escalation pathways.
Incorporate immunotherapy considerations into operative planning, reconstruction, wound healing risk mitigation, and postoperative surveillance within multidisciplinary workflows.