page_title: Transoral robotic surgery
section_title: Cancerous or benign tumors
hierarchical_section_title: Transoral robotic surgery / Indications / Cancerous or benign tumors
caption_attribution_description: English: This is a diagram of four images showing the anatomical structures removed during a midline hemiglossectomy.
context_page_description: TransOral Robotic Surgery is a modern surgical technique used to treat tumors of the mouth and throat via direct access through the mouth. TransOral Robotic Sleep Apnea surgery utilizes the same approach to open the upper airway of patients with obstructive sleep apnea. In TORS and TORSA procedures, the surgeon uses a surgical robot to view and access structures in the oral cavity and pharynx without any incisions through the neck, chin or lip. Current TORS techniques include radical tonsillectomy, resection of palate and base of skull tumors, hemiglossectomy and resection of tumors above and involving the larynx. The TORSA technique is used for uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, hemiglossectomy, and other airway procedures.
context_section_description: TORS provides an excellent alternative to chemoradiation  and traditional open surgeries for some cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx and base of skull. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are associated with long-term, potentially harmful toxicities, and open surgeries are highly invasive and prone to serious complications and extended hospital stays. TORS avoids these issues by avoiding the external incisions and reducing surgical time, both of which are associated with increased blood loss and infection. There are ongoing clinical trials collecting data on TORS, but numerous studies have repeatedly shown it to be both safe and effective in treating malignant and benign tumors of the head and neck.
caption: Figure 2: This diagram shows how TORSA increases the airway size when the mouth is too small or the tongue is too large.
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