According to the study published in NCBI (2014), head and neck cancer (HNC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide, with an estimated 630,000 new cases every year. Specifically, this type of cancer includes tumors of the oropharynx, nasopharynx, hypopharynx, larynx, and oral cavity. Tobacco and alcohol consumption is strongly associated with head and neck cancer.
Multiple factors that drive the head and neck cancer market include the increasing combination therapies for the management of head & neck cancer, rising prevalence of head and neck cancer, increasing adoption of advanced medical technologies, reduction in medical errors in cancer care, various government initiatives for various cancer therapy developments, and increasing awareness among people regarding the advanced cancer treatments. In addition, risk factors such as growth in cigarette smoking, alcohol intake & tobacco use are expected to fuel the market growth.
However, the high cost of treatments, the side effects of available therapies, and the lack of health coverage act as major restraints of this market.
The head and neck cancer market has been segmented on the basis of product and region. The products segment comprises of cytotoxic agents [Antimetabolites (Abitrexate/ Mexate/ Folex (methotrexate), hydrea (hydroxyurea), antitubulins, taxotere (docetaxel), others (Platinum Agents, Fluoropyrimidines), Platinol (cisplatin), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)], EGFR Inhibitors [Erbitux (cetuximab), Vectibi (panitumumab), Theracim/Theraloc (nimotuzumab)], EGFR Inhibitors (TKIs) [Tarceva (erlotinib), Iressa (gefitinib), Tykerb/Tyverb (lapatinib)], PD1 Inhibitors [Keytruda (pembrolizumab), Opdivo (nivolumab)], Pipeline Drugs [EGFR Inhibitors (mAbs) (Vectibix (panitumumab)), PDL1 Inhibitors (Imfinzi (durvalumab), Bavencio (avelumab)), CTLA4 Inhibitors (Yervoy (ipilimumab), Tremelimumab)]. At regional level, the head and neck cancer market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. The North American region is projected to hold the major market share in 2020, followed by Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest-of-the-World.
The major key players operating in the head and neck cancer market are Advaxis, Inc. (US), Amgen, Inc. (US), AstraZeneca plc (UK), Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH (Germany), Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) (Japan), Cel-Sci Corporation (US), Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc. (US), GlaxoSmithKline plc (UK), Incyte Corporation (US), IRX Therapeutics, Inc. (US), MacroGenics, Inc. (US), Merck KGaA (Germany), Novartis AG (Switzerland), Pfizer, Inc., Roche Holdings AG (Genentech) (Switzerland), Viracta Therapeutics (US) among others.
