Head and neck tumors: Viewpoint—surgery

Abstract

Seventy-five thousand new cases of head and neck cancer are reported in the United States each year. There has been an increase in the utilization of nonsurgical therapies for head and neck cancer since the publication of the Veterans Affairs Laryngeal Study Group results in 1991. Over the years many subsites in the head and neck can be safely operated on with minimally invasive techniques including robotic surgery with minimal morbidity. Chemotherapy and radiation protocols carry an inherent risk of toxicity. The favorable prognosis of HPV-related cancers has increased the push towards deintensifying treatment for such cancers. Moreover, stereotactic radiosurgery is currently becoming useful in the setting of re-irradiation amongst inoperable patients with recurrent head and neck cancer.​