Many head and neck cancers are curable, especially if detected early. The treatment of head and neck cancer may influence a person’s life based on how a person feels, looks, talks, eats, and breathes. Several factors influence treatment options, like the stage of head and neck cancer, potential side effects of medication, and other general health-related aspects. In this blog, you will learn the types of head and neck cancer surgery performed by a surgical oncologist in Kolkata.
Types of surgeries performed by a surgical oncologist for head and neck cancer
During surgery, the objective of every cancer surgeon is to remove the malignant tumour. Head and neck cancer surgery options include the following:
Laser surgery:
Laser surgery is used to treat an early-stage tumour. An endoscope with a high-intensity laser on the tip is put down the throat during laser surgery. The tumour can then be destroyed or surgically removed using a laser.
Excision:
This is another surgical procedure used to remove the malignant tumour.
Lymph node dissection/neck dissection:
The lymph nodes in the neck may be removed if an oncologist in Kolkata feels that cancer has spread. This can be done concurrently with an excision.
Vocal cord stripping:
The outer layers of tissue on the vocal cords are removed using a lengthy surgical instrument known as vocal cord stripping. This method might be used to get a biopsy sample or to treat stage 0 malignancies of the vocal cords. However, speech is rarely affected by vocal cord stripping.
Cordectomy:
Part or all of the vocal cords are removed during a cordectomy. This method is used to treat glottic carcinoma. It is tiny and only found on the surface tissues. Patients who have a cordectomy may notice alterations in their speech. A hoarse voice may result from removing a portion of a vocal chord. Speech is no longer possible if both vocal cords are removed.
Partial laryngectomy:
For minor laryngeal tumours, a partial laryngectomy is performed by the surgical oncologist to remove only the cancerous area of the voice box, leaving the remainder of the larynx intact. A partial laryngectomy can be used to remove the region of the larynx above the vocal cords (supraglottic laryngectomy) or simply one of the two vocal cords.
These are some surgical options performed by a surgical oncologist in Kolkata. Some patients may require more than one procedure depending on the location, stage, and kind of cancer. It is not always possible to eliminate cancer entirely, and extra therapies may be required.
