Throat or larynx cancer: Approach to Care
Overview
The Head and Neck Cancer Center treats head and neck tumors through various innovative surgical and radiotherapy techniques. This comprehensive team brings together the expertise of several diverse specialties to provide personalized treatment for cancers of the mouth, throat, voice box, salivary glands, and thyroid, and skin cancers of the head and neck region. Treatment may include therapies that are available only through clinical trials.
As one of the nation’s top research universities, the University of Florida has many specialized programs, such as the Southeast Center for Research to Reduce Disparities in Oral Health, which seeks to eliminate disparities in head and neck cancers among vulnerable and underserved individuals.
Multidisciplinary Treatment Team
Our multidisciplinary treatment team is comprised of expert physicians, nurses and staff from many departments and services, with the common goal of improving the survival and quality of life for patients with head and neck cancer. Each patient is examined by several head and neck cancer specialists and their unique case is presented at the weekly Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Tumor Conference where the participating specialists recommend a treatment plan. Before any treatment is started, the patient and family are fully informed of the recommended treatment, the reasons it is recommended, the procedures to be carried out, the expected or possible side effects or complications, and the expected benefits.
The multidisciplinary treatment team includes physicians, nurses and staff who have extensive experience in the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of patients with head and neck cancer. Our patients benefit from numerous services including:
- Medical oncology
- Dental oncology
- Surgical oncology
- Otolaryngology
- Oral & maxillofacial surgery
- Plastic and reconstructive surgery
- Radiation oncology
- Radiology
- Pathology
- Clinical trials
- Social services
- Patient educational services
- Nutrition services
- Palliative care
- Support groups
State-of-the-Art Technology and Innovative Therapy
Expert clinicians and staff utilize the latest techniques to evaluate each patient’s needs and recommended treatment. Some of the state-of-the-art technologies and innovative therapies available are:
- Convenient in-office procedures
-Voice analysis and intervention featuringlaryngeal examination with stroboscopy-Swallow/dysphagia evaluation-Transnasal esophagoscopy-Biopsy of the head and neck-Unsedated laser laryngeal surgery-Botulism toxin injection
- Minimally invasive and traditional surgical procedures
-Head and neck cancer resection and reconstruction-Thyroid surgery including revision-Parathyroid surgery-Microvascular reconstruction of the head and neck-Parotid surgery-Transoral laser microsurgery-Minimally invasive anterior skull base surgery
- State of the art radiation therapy
-Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT)-Brachytherapy-Proton Therapy
- Chemotherapy and other novel molecular targeting agents (Erbitux)
