Optimizing the therapeutic ratio: a narrative review of de-escalation and response-adapted strategies in series including human papillomavirus negative head and neck cancer

Key Points

• Dose and volume de-escalation maintain oncologic efficacy while reducing toxicities in HPV-negative cases.
• Findings highlight the potential to apply de-escalation strategies previously limited to HPV-positive disease.
• Narrative review examines treatment responses across series of HPV-negative head and neck cancer patients.
• Implications suggest a shift towards more tolerable treatments for head and neck cancers without compromising outcomes.