The 2026 Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancers Symposium will take place February 19 to 21 in Palm Desert, California, with a concurrent livestream for virtual attendees. This biennial meeting is a key forum for new clinical research and multidisciplinary collaboration in a disease area that affects more than 66,000 Americans each year and often requires highly coordinated care. Media information is available at astro.org/HNpress, and general registration is available at headandnecksymposium.org.

Cosponsored by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) and the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), the symposium brings together specialists from radiation, medical and surgical oncology to address emerging evidence and optimize patient care.

Head and neck cancers encompass a diverse group of tumors that can affect breathing, speaking and swallowing, and treatment often involves a combination of surgery, radiation and systemic therapy. Sessions at the symposium will highlight new strategies to improve patient outcomes and reduce side effects.

Program highlights include:

• New and late-breaking research in plenary sessions featuring clinical trial data and translational findings on multidisciplinary therapies and supportive care.

• Keynotes from Sana Karam, MD, PhD, of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, on the expanding role of immunotherapy, and David Sher, MD, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center on new thinking about elective nodal treatments.

• Focused panels and sessions exploring novel strategies for recurrent or metastatic disease, improving survivorship and quality-of-life outcomes, and designing next-generation clinical trials.

For more information, visit our press kit.

ABOUT ASTRO
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is the world’s largest professional society dedicated to advancing radiation oncology, with 10,000 members including physicians, nurses, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and other professionals who work to improve patient outcomes through clinical care, research, education and policy advocacy. Radiation therapy is integral to 40% of cancer cures worldwide, and more than one million Americans receive radiation treatments for their cancer each year. For information on radiation therapy, visit RTAnswers.org. To learn more about ASTRO, visit our website and media center and connect with us on social media.