About this Research Topic
The poor prognosis is mainly due to delayed diagnosis. The difficulty in identifying potentially malignant disorders with a high risk of transformation into cancer from those with low risk remains a major challenge for early diagnosis. Potentially malignant disorders can be managed by surgical excision, cryosurgery, laser surgery, topical treatments, and photodynamic therapy, but none of these interventions fully prevent malignant transformation.
Histopathological examination is the gold standard for identifying epithelial alterations. The advancement in technology has made it possible to identify genetic changes and develop artificial intelligence tools to aid in the clinical and histopathological diagnosis of potentially malignant disorders. Recently, the World Health Organization proposed new histological criteria to improve the diagnosis of epithelial dysplasia. However, the development of non-invasive strategies is desirable for clinical follow-up.
This Special Research Topic aims to collect the most recent evidence in high-quality original research, reviews, and mini-reviews involving tools for early diagnosis in experimental and clinical research. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:
- New strategies for early diagnosis in head and neck cancer.
- Clinical and molecular targets in early diagnosis of head and neck cancer.
- The development and applicability of non-invasive strategies to improve diagnosis and clinical follow-up of head and neck cancer.
- Assessment and clinical prediction of the new histological criteria for epithelial dysplasia proposed by the World Health Organization.
Keywords: head and neck cancer, oral cavity cancer, larynx cancer, pharynx cancer, early diagnosis, genetic predisposition, smoking and cancer, alcohol-induced cancer, HPV and cancer, global cancer statistics, cancer incidence, cancer mortality, cancer prognosis
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.