Monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) in head and neck cancer.

The development of monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) represents a major contribution of immunology to the study of head and neck cancer. The interest of the otolaryngologist in this new field is quite recent, but our knowledge of cancer and other immunoproliferative disorders will exponentially expand with the characterization of tumor-associated antigens of squamous cell carcinomas. The author reviews briefly the technique for producing monoclonal antibodies and presents an overview of the application of Mabs to clinical medicine, oncology and, more specifically, head and neck cancer. Very few contributions have been made in head and neck cancer, but the field of Mabs will significantly alter our diagnostic and therapeutic armamentarium.