The two available options for primary radiochemotherapy (RCT) of locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma are discussed in the current study: concomitant and sequential RCT. At the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2014, results of current trials on the primary nonsurgical therapy of locally advanced head and neck tumors were presented. A selection of the most important trials will be summarized in this article. Studies including cisplatin-based RCT as standard therapy for locally advanced head and neck tumors, alternatives for cisplatin, combination with targeted therapy, application of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody cetuximab and the comparison of concomitant and sequential RCT are discussed. The first completely recruited phase III trial comparing concomitant and sequential RCT will also be presented.
