The Efficacy and Safety of Head and Neck Cancer Treatment using Photodynamic and Ultrasound Therapy: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Despite the improvement in therapeutic and diagnostic techniques in the medical care of head and neck tumor, the results and survival of patients has remained poor. This mainly is as a result of late detection and the ability of the disease to develop loco-regional metastasis. The primary way to control it is early detection and treatment to prevent recurrence and metastasis. Conventional treatment of these neoplasms involves the use of photodynamic treatment and ultrasound therapy. These treatments have proven to be efficacious, however, they have at times ended up causing damage to healthy as well as dead tissues, worsening the previous issues as a result of the complicated anatomical structure and procedure applied in their treatment. The use of photodynamic and ultrasound in the treatment of head and neck cancer (HNC) was established more than two decades ago. In this review, we will focus on the on assessing the efficacy and safety of HNC treatment using ultrasound and photodynamic therapy.