The program provides a coordinated
approach to diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer, including the benefit
of care options developed by a multidisciplinary team. Psychosocial support for
patients and families also is stressed.
Initial
Visit
During an individual session with an otolaryngologist, a physical
examination will be performed, which may include a number of diagnostic procedures,
which are recommended by The American Cancer Society. These include:
Treatment
Surgery -combined with radiation therapy
- is usually the most effective method of treating head and neck cancers. Advanced
cases are usually treated with chemotherapy following surgery. More about surgery
here.
Additionally, patients seen through the Head and Neck Cancer Program
have access to many innovative clinical trials, including Phase I, II and III
trials of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, a national cancer study research
group funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), as well as NCI and early-phase
protocols developed through research conduced at the Leon Hess Cancer Center.
