Three-weekly cisplatin or weekly cisplatin chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma—the jury is still out

According to cancer statistics for 2012 (GLOBOCAN), the global incidence of HNC in that year stood at around 680,000, with 390,000 of these cases occurring in Asian countries. Around 240,000 Asian people died from HNC, accounting for 5.5% of cancer deaths (1). Traditionally, patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have a significant smoking and drinking history, and around 60% present with advanced disease (Stage III and IV), for which prognosis remains poor.