The disciplines which contribute to the diagnosis and treatment strategy are dedicated head and neck radiologists and pathologists, head and neck oncologic surgeons, head and neck reconstructive surgeons, medical oncologists, and radiotherapists. Patients with these tumors benefit greatly from their cases being presented in a multi-disciplinary forum such as a head and neck tumor board that allows all of these different individuals with expertise in the diagnosis and treatment, to confer and openly discuss both the diagnosis as well as the treatment strategy. Although the symptoms of head and neck cancer can be caused by a variety of other illnesses, if you are concerned, you should see your doctor. The goal in all cancer treatment is to cure both the primary site as well as the regional lymph nodes and, if present, the presence of systemic metastases. Combined with that treatment is to incur the least amount of damage as possible to other vital structures in the head and neck region.
Treatment can include, surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.
Surgery and radiation may be used independently or together. Chemotherapy is rarely used as an independent treatment approach and is combined with either radiation or surgery as part of a comprehensive management program. If surgery is required, often times the head and neck region requires some form of reconstructive surgery. There are a variety of approaches that are utilized to restore the particular region that is affected by the cancer to its optimum appearance and function. The techniques may be as simple as primary closure of the wound using sutures to the use of skin grafts, flaps that are composed of muscle and skin from the region as well as the use of free tissue transfer.