The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust has brought together world-class clinicians to advance research into the disease.
Head and neck cancer is an umbrella term for cancers of the nose, mouth, throat, voice box, thyroid and salivary glands. It is the eighth most common form of cancer in the UK with over 12,000 cases diagnosed each year.
It is currently estimated that between 20 and 40 per cent of head and neck cancers will return after treatment.
The International Centre for Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer (IReC) in London aims to 'set international standards' in treatment and care to improve outcomes for patients.