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Conditions

Throat Cancer Treatment Options

After a diagnosis is made and the stage (extent) of the cancer determined, your doctor will suggest appropriate treatment options. The goal of treatment is to remove the cancer and prevent it from spreading to other parts of the body. Depending on your condition and its stage, treatment options for throat cancer may include:

  • Open surgery1
  • Transoral surgery1
  • Chemoradiaton1
  • da Vinci® Surgery for Throat Cancer

If your doctor recommends surgery, there are two primary types: traditional open with a large incision and transoral surgery - through the mouth. Tumor size, stage and location determine the type of surgery required.

Open Surgery

Open surgery to remove throat cancer requires a long incision through the throat and jaw. Your surgeon may also need to break the jawbone to access the tumor. Open surgery can cause disfigurement and difficulty with eating, speaking and swallowing.1 Reconstructive or plastic surgery may be needed to rebuild the bones or tissues removed during your treatment.

Transoral Surgery

Transoral laser surgery may provide a much less invasive treatment option. Using a camera and microscope passed through the mouth, the surgeon directs the laser to the tumor location - avoiding the need for facial disfigurement and tracheotomy (incision in the front of the neck to provide an airway).

Transoral surgery may also minimize or eliminate the need for chemoradiation and its potential side-effects. However, surgeons are limited by instrumentation and visualization – which means this approach may not be appropriate for all cases.

Chemotherapy & Radiation

Chemotherapy or radiation may be administered if the cancer has spread beyond the throat. While chemotherapy and radiation are non-invasive, the side effects can permanently affect your long-term ability to speak and swallow. In fact, roughly 25% of patients are not able to swallow following radiation treatment and 10% need a permanent feeding tube inserted in the stomach.2

  1. National Institutes of Health; Cancer- throat or larynx; Available from: www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001042.htm.
  2. Weinstein GS, O’Malley Jr BS, Desai SC, Quon H; Transoral robotic surgery: does the ends justify the means? Current Opinion in Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery,17:126–131, 2009.
  3. O’Malley Jr. B, Weinstein GS, Snyder W, Hockstein, NG; Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS) for Base Tongue Neoplasms, Laryngoscope 116: August 2006.
  4. Weinstein GS, O’Malley Jr. BW, Synder W, Sherman E, Quon H; Transoral Robotic Surgery, Radical Tonsillectomy; Arch Otolaryngol. Head Neck Surg/Vol. 133 (No. 12), Dec 2007.
  5. Boudreaux BA, Rosenthal EL, Magnuson SJ, Newman RJ,, Desmond RA, Clemons L, Carroll WR; Robot-Assisted Surgery for Upper Aerodigestive Tract Neoplasms; Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg/Vol 135 (No. 4), Apr 2009.
While clinical studies support the effectiveness of the da Vinci Surgical System when used in minimally invasive surgery, individual results may vary. There are no guarantees of outcome. All surgeries involve the risk of major complications. Before you decide on surgery, discuss treatment options with your doctor. Understanding the risks of each treatment can help you make the best decision for your individual situation. Surgery with the da Vinci Surgical System may not be appropriate for every individual; it may not be applicable to your condition. Always ask your doctor about all treatment options, as well as their risks and benefits. Only your doctor can determine whether da Vinci Surgery is appropriate for your situation. The clinical information and opinions, including any inaccuracies expressed in this material by patients or doctor about da Vinci Surgery are not necessarily those of Intuitive Surgical, Inc. and should not be considered as substitute for medical advice provided by your doctor. All people depicted unless otherwise noted are models. © 2011 Intuitive Surgical. All rights reserved. Intuitive, Intuitive Surgical, da Vinci, da Vinci S, da Vinci Si, Single-Site, InSite, TilePro and EndoWrist are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intuitive Surgical. All other product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. PN 873551 Rev B 10/11.
Content provided by Intuitive Surgical. For more information on this topic, please visit www.davincisurgery.com.

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