09-12, 14:00–15:00 (Europe/Istanbul), Head & Neck Surgery 1
Head and neck cancer is a common yet aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis, particularly when diagnosed at advanced stages. Despite progress in surgical, chemotherapeutic, and radiotherapeutic interventions, overall disease control and patient survival rates remains low due to high rates of recurrence and therapeutic resistance. Head and neck cancer continues to be a challenging disease and many efforts across the world are in process to help diagnose, treat, manage and surveil this disease and the patients it affects. Advances in therapeutics and new technologies continue to be developed and utilized in management of this challenging disease. Neoadjuvant and adjuvant immunotherapy prior to standard of care treatment has shown promising advances in response and overall control of disease in both mucosal, cutaneous and endocrine cancers. Artificial intelligence technology is opening new opportunities for complex data analysis and advances in translational and clinical care of patients. Advances in optical imaging technology is helping identification of cancer. Novel approaches to surgical planning and treatment are extending treatment possibilities with less morbidity and improved outcomes. This panel of experts will discuss new technologies, advances and treatment strategies in head & neck cancer. Speakers and panel discussion will focus and update on important topics in head and neck cancer:
Faculty Roster for Head & Neck Oncology American Academy of Otolaryngology Panel Symposia:
Wojciech Mydlarz MD
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Clint Allen MD
Center for Cancer Research/National Cancer Institute
National Institute of Health
Nicole Schmitt MD
Winship Cancer Institute
Emory University School of Medicine
Steven Chinn MD, MPH
Hillman Cancer Center
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Mark Zafereo MD
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Jaime Ku MD
Head and Neck Institute
Cleveland Clinic
Eleni Rettig MD
Brigham and Women's Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Harvard Medical School
Melina Windon MD
Markey Cancer Center
University of Kentucky School of Medicine
- Advances in head and neck cancer detection, and surveillance
- Advances and management updates in head and neck cancer
- Novel approaches open and endoscopic approaches to head and neck tumors
- Targeted therapy and immunotherapy combined with surgery for advanced thyroid cancer
- Translation applications of Artificial Intelligence in head and neck cancer
American Academy of Otolaryngology Panel. Purpose of panel is to present novel strategies, technologies and management updates in Head and Neck Cancer.
Dr. Wojciech (Wojtek) Mydlarz is a fellowship-trained head and neck oncologic surgeon with special interests in minimally invasive robotic and endoscopic surgery, skull base surgery and endocrine surgery. He completed his residency in Otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine followed by a fellowship in head and neck surgical oncology and skull base surgery at MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is the Chair of Surgery at Suburban Hospital, Director of Head and Neck Surgery in the National Capitol Region, and Associate Professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Oncology and Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His clinical research interests include surgical and non-surgical treatment outcomes in head and neck cancer patients, molecular biology of head and neck cancer, clinical applications of novel targeted cancer therapies, robotic and laser surgery and their clinical applications, and minimally invasive surgical approaches for head and neck cancer.
He is a member of the American Head and Neck Society, North American Skull Base Society as well as American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, where he serves on various national committees. He is also a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Mydlarz has written and contributed to numerous publications, articles, book chapters. He has given numerous national and international lectures as an invited speaker. He serves on the editorial boards of Oral Oncology and Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology where he is also a section editor. He is a frequent reviewer for Oral Oncology, Head and Neck, The Laryngoscope and JAMA Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery journals.
Dr. Mark Zafereo is a Professor of Head and Neck Surgery at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas where he is Section Chief of Head and Neck Endocrine Surgery and Associate Medical Director of the Head & Neck Center. Dr. Zafereo serves as Treasurer of the American Thyroid Association, and on the American Head & Neck Society Research and Education Foundation Board of Trustees. He has previously served on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and the International Thyroid Oncology Group. Dr. Zafereo leads several national multicenter clinical trials on neoadjuvant therapy followed by surgery for advanced differentiated, medullary, and anaplastic thyroid cancers. He has published significantly on Thyroid and other Head & Neck cancers, speaking nationally and internationally. His clinical practice focuses on patients afflicted with thyroid cancer and parathyroid neoplasms.
Melina Windon earned her medical degree at the University of Connecticut and completed an Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery residency and T32 research fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. She went on to complete a Head and Neck Cancer and Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery fellowship at the University of Michigan, and is now practicing at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Her research interests include head and neck cancer survivorship, quality and delivery in rural areas, and the epidemiology of head and neck cancers, particularly those linked to HPV.
Jamie A. Ku, MD, is an assistant professor at Lerner College of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic, a head and neck surgical oncologist and a microvascular reconstructive surgeon, and the Director of Head & Neck Robotic Surgery Program. After completing her undergraduate degree at Duke University, Dr. Ku earned her medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 2010, where she completed a one-year research fellowship in Head and Neck Tumor Molecular Signaling. She completed her post-graduate surgical training in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Johns Hopkins University in 2015. She then pursued a two-year dual fellowship in advanced Head and Neck Surgical Oncology and Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her areas of expertise are minimally invasive surgeries, such as transoral robotics surgery, as well as complex reconstruction of the head and neck. She also serves as principal investigator of numerous clinical trials, both investigator-initiated, national cooperative group, and industry-sponsored clinical trials, all aimed at investigating new techniques to improve the oncologic and quality of life outcomes in head and neck cancer patients.