Innovative Robotic Head and Neck Cancer Surgery Preserves Speech

An incisionless robotic surgical procedure is offering patients a new option to remove certain head and neck cancer tumors without visible scarring, while preserving speech and the ability to eat.

The new procedure, TransOral Robotic Surgery (TORS) allows surgeons to access tumors through the mouth using a robotic system, thus eliminating the need of an open skin incision. Among the benefits of the procedure are significantly less blood loss, the possibility of avoiding a tracheotomy, minimization, or elimination of need for chemoradiation therapy, fewer complications, no visible scarring, and a shorter hospital stay. The TORS procedure also offers faster recovery and a swifter return to normal speech and swallowing. Patients with early-stage tonsil and base of tongue cancers may not need to receive radiation therapy following TORS, depending on the final tumor margins and pathological characteristics of the tumor.

TORS outcomes are also markedly improved when compared to standard chemotherapy, radiation, or traditional open surgical approaches for oropharyngeal cancer. The TORS procedures were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January 2010 for the removal of malignant and benign tumors of the mouth, tongue, tonsils, and parts of the throat. The procedures were approved for use with the da Vinci Surgical System, a product of Intuitive Surgical (Sunnyvale, CA, USA).

"TORS allows surgeons to completely remove tumors of the head and neck while preserving speech, swallowing, and other key quality of life issues such as eating. There also is no visible scaring or disfigurement,” said Tamer Ghanem, M.D., Ph.D., director of head and neck oncology and reconstructive surgery division at Henry Ford Hospital (Detroit, WA, USA). "Surgeons operate with greater precision and control using the TORS approach, minimizing the pain, and reducing the risk of possible nerve and tissue damage associated with large incisions.”

Related Links:
Intuitive Surgical
Henry Ford Hospital