Description
Advances in surgical technology are changing the way some throat cancers are treated.
In this video, Dr. Emre Vural, head and neck cancer surgeon at UAMS Health, explains how transoral robotic surgery (TORS) allows surgeons to remove select throat cancers through the mouth without the large incisions that were once required.
For carefully selected patients, TORS may help reduce the need for chemotherapy or radiation therapy while offering a less invasive surgical approach. Compared to traditional methods that often required splitting the lip and jawbone to reach the tumor, transoral robotic surgery can result in shorter hospital stays, faster recovery, and fewer reconstructive procedures.
At UAMS Health, our multidisciplinary head and neck cancer team carefully evaluates each patient to determine the most appropriate treatment plan based on their individual diagnosis and needs.
Learn how robotic assisted surgery is helping improve outcomes and quality of life for patients with certain types of throat cancer.
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Transcript
The benefit of transoral robotic surgery is that it gives patients the chance to avoid chemotherapy and radiation in select conditions. Classically, these oropharyngeal cancers were treated with chemotherapy and radiation over a long period of time, and there are some side effects to these treatments. Some patients may actually do well with surgery alone. We’re very careful in selecting our patients for transoral robotic surgery, but it’s a very rewarding treatment option, and I’m happy to offer it to our patients.
When we compare transoral robotic surgery with the classical surgical approach to throat cancers, in the past we were doing these surgeries by splitting the lip and jawbone just to access the area, and afterward almost all patients would need complex reconstructive surgery. Now, with the transoral robotic surgery option, a lot of the patients we treat leave the hospital two nights after their surgery. A good number of patients, probably about half, wouldn’t require any additional treatment like radiation or chemotherapy. In transoral robotic surgery, the wound we create in the throat typically heals on its own, without any additional reconstructive surgery.
