Payton Clark

Abstract Patients with resected mucosal (HNSCC) or cutaneous (cSCC) squamous carcinomas of the head and neck undergo adjuvant therapy based on clinicopathologic prognosticators. Most patients are overtreated or undertreated, with substantial morbidity from locoregional recurrences and locoregional therapies. It is unknown whether postoperative ctDNA molecular residual disease (MRD) testing could improve patient selection.

1 Introduction Thyroid cancer represents a growing public health concern in the United States as incidence and mortality rates have markedly increased over the last several decades [1]. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there are an estimated 44,020 new cases in 2024, with a projected 2170 deaths [2].