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New Surgery Improves Head & Neck Cancer Treatment
April 30, 2008BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A new surgical procedure for head and neck cancer at the University of Alabama at Birmingham offers improved accuracy for surgeons and reduced post-operative pain for patients.
The new procedure uses robotic surgery, and results have shown it lessens the scarring, breathing problems and damage to speech that can happen with treating head and neck cancers, said William Carroll, M.D., a scientist in the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Initial tests have shown the new procedure also shortens recovery times for cancer patients.
"This application takes robotic surgery to new places in the body," said Carroll, a head and neck surgeon within UAB's Division of Otolaryngology, and one of the first surgeons to begin using the procedure for head and neck cancers.
"There is an option for patients to have a more minimally invasive surgery, and one that could effectively remove the cancer while causing fewer side effects," he said.
ROBOT ADAPTIONS REFINED
Robotic surgery is an alternative to traditional open surgery and a refinement on the concept of laparoscopic surgery, Carroll said. The robot most commonly used in cancer treatment is called the da Vinci, which is sold by Intuitive Surgical.
UAB was the first medical center in Alabama and among the first in the United States to begin using the da Vinci for head and neck cancers more than a year ago. Since that time, 40 UAB patients have had the new operation.
Offering the new procedure to patients first involved adapting operating techniques and robot-arm positions, and continually refining those adaptations, Carroll said. The da Vinci was originally designed for operating on the lower and middle sections of the body, and the narrow spaces inside the head and neck can be a challenge.
The increased surgical accuracy comes from tiny cameras attached to the end of the da Vinci instruments. Carroll said the magnified, 3-D image gives doctors a greater field of vision than conventional open or laparoscopic surgery.
This year more than 40,000 Americans will be diagnosed with head and neck cancer, and more than 7,500 will die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society. The disease includes cancers of the oral cavity, and the larynx and pharynx.
The most effective prevention strategy remains stopping risky behaviors like smoking, chewing tobacco or drinking excessive alcohol, Carroll said.
University of Alabama at Birmingham
"This application takes robotic surgery to new places in the body," said Carroll, a head and neck surgeon within UAB's Division of Otolaryngology, and one of the first surgeons to begin using the procedure for head and neck cancers.
"There is an option for patients to have a more minimally invasive surgery, and one that could effectively remove the cancer while causing fewer side effects," he said.
ROBOT ADAPTIONS REFINED
Robotic surgery is an alternative to traditional open surgery and a refinement on the concept of laparoscopic surgery, Carroll said. The robot most commonly used in cancer treatment is called the da Vinci, which is sold by Intuitive Surgical.
UAB was the first medical center in Alabama and among the first in the United States to begin using the da Vinci for head and neck cancers more than a year ago. Since that time, 40 UAB patients have had the new operation.
Offering the new procedure to patients first involved adapting operating techniques and robot-arm positions, and continually refining those adaptations, Carroll said. The da Vinci was originally designed for operating on the lower and middle sections of the body, and the narrow spaces inside the head and neck can be a challenge.
The increased surgical accuracy comes from tiny cameras attached to the end of the da Vinci instruments. Carroll said the magnified, 3-D image gives doctors a greater field of vision than conventional open or laparoscopic surgery.
This year more than 40,000 Americans will be diagnosed with head and neck cancer, and more than 7,500 will die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society. The disease includes cancers of the oral cavity, and the larynx and pharynx.
The most effective prevention strategy remains stopping risky behaviors like smoking, chewing tobacco or drinking excessive alcohol, Carroll said.
University of Alabama at Birmingham
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Head Neck Cancer Current Events and Head Neck Cancer News RSSNew treatment combination proves safe for head and neck cancer patients
Patients undergoing treatment for advanced head and neck cancers may respond well to the addition of gefinitib to chemotherapy.
Experimental drug shows promise against head and neck cancer
A laboratory study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University suggests that an anti-cancer compound studied for treating blood cancers may also help in treating cancers of the head and neck. The work is reported in the April 28th online edition of the Journal of Pathology.
Survey shows Americans may be missing direct route to head and neck cancer care
Tens of thousands of Americans are diagnosed annually with head and neck cancers, but many adults are unaware of doctors who specialize in treating these conditions, according to a recent survey by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS), the association representing America's ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctors.
Health choices predict cancer survival, U-M study finds
Head and neck cancer patients who smoked, drank, didn't exercise or didn't eat enough fruit when they were diagnosed had worse survival outcomes than those with better health habits.
Genetic Changes Outside Nuclear DNA Suspected to Trigger More Than Half of All Cancers
A buildup of chemical bonds on certain cancer-promoting genes, a process known as hypermethylation, is widely known to render cells cancerous by disrupting biological brakes on runaway growth. Now, Johns Hopkins scientists say the reverse process - demethylation - which wipes off those chemical bonds may also trigger more than half of all cancers.
Researchers identify genetic markers for aggressive head and neck cancer
Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have identified genetic markers that signal poor outcomes for patients with head and neck cancer. These findings could one day lead to a genetic test that could help select or predict successful treatment options for patients with this type of cancer. The results were published in the American Journal of Pathology.
Survival of head and neck cancer patients is greatly affected by coexisting ailments
Current estimates for head and neck cancer survival are largely inaccurate because they widely disregard many of the most common diseases such patients have in addition to their primary cancer, says Jay Piccirillo, M.D., a head and neck specialist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the Siteman Cancer Center and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
News from Cancer: Disparities in head and neck cancer patients
A new analysis finds considerable disparities in survival related to race and socio-economic status among patients with head and neck cancer.
As head and neck cancer risks evolve, more treatment options emerge
Advances in understanding head and neck cancer over the last decade have led to more treatment options and improved quality of life for patients, according to a review published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Acupuncture reduces pain and dysfunction in head and neck cancer patients after neck dissection
New data from a randomized, controlled trial found that acupuncture provided significant reductions in pain, dysfunction, and dry mouth in head and neck cancer patients after neck dissection.
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