Abstract: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a common malignancy. Induction chemotherapy in advanced HNSCC has been extensively investigated. However, the role of induction chemotherapy outside of laryngeal preservation is unclear. Presently, docetaxel-cisplatin-fluorouracil (TPF regimen) is still the standard regimen for induction chemotherapy. Recently, more evidence has been accumulated regarding the application of induction chemotherapy in locally advanced HNSCC. In this review, we non-systematically evaluated recently published studies on induction chemotherapy in various patient populations with locally advanced HNSCC, providing an overview of the effect of induction chemotherapy on survival results and organ preservation, the exact patient subgroups who may benefit from induction chemotherapy, and how to reduce toxicity and which new regimens present promising results.