AHNS 2026 Annual Meeting Presentations
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Presented 2026-07-18 at the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) 12th International Conference on Head and Neck Cancer in Boston, MA, USA. Presentation Summaries: Pragmatic Imaging Biomarkers for Lymphedema and FibrosisPost radiation lymphedema and fibrosis remain important yet inconsistently measured late effects. The presentation argues that spatial imaging can convert visible edema, fat stranding, muscle atrophy, perfusion change, and tissue remodeling into reproducible biomarkers. Conventional CT grading shows limited diagnostic performance, whereas quantitative MRI, including T1 and T2 signal analysis, relaxometry, and dynamic contrast enhancement, links tissue change with muscle loss and dysphagia severity. These biomarkers can support prevention and treatment trials such as STOP4 LATE FIBROSE and REVERSE FIBROSE. Translation, however, requires standardized radiology reporting, validated quantitative soft tissue metrics, and matched clinical severity measures with annotated imaging datasets.Nonsurgical Radiotherapy for ParagangliomaRadiotherapy is presented as a nonsurgical option for head and neck paragangliomas when tumors are unresectable, surgery or anesthesia is contraindicated, or surgical morbidity is best deferred. Historical fractionated treatment and IMRT achieve durable local control, with tumor shrinkage continuing slowly over years. Proton therapy can reduce dose to uninvolved tissues and may be advantageous for large or anatomically complex lesions, although toxicity and long term symptoms require tracking. SBRT is emerging for smaller tumors, with promising control and delayed volumetric response. Lutetium 177 DOTATATE is a developing option, particularly for unresectable or metastatic disease, but prospective trials remain necessary.OPC-SURVIVOROPC SURVIVOR is a research program addressing latent, disabling, and sometimes life threatening sequelae of oropharyngeal cancer treatment. Its central premise is that feasible patient reported outcomes and objective biomarkers can identify injury before clinical failure, enabling earlier mechanism based intervention. Three coordinated projects examine mandibular osteoradionecrosis, radiation associated lower cranial neuropathy, and late dysphagia. Across shared cohorts and analytic cores, the program combines dosimetry, MRI, electromyography, electrical impedance, speech acoustics, swallowing tests, and symptom data. It also embeds trials of revascularizing or antifibrotic drugs, corticosteroids, behavioral strategies, and pentoxifylline plus tocopherol to produce validated risk models and mitigation pathways
Source: Figshare
Author: Clifton D. Fuller
Topic: Head and Neck Cancer Studies
Subfield: Otorhinolaryngology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7169774167
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