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Head and Neck Cancer Treatment
Head and Neck Treatment. The treatment plan depends on a number of factors, including the exact location of the tumor, the stage of the cancer, and the person’s age and general health. The patient and the doctor should consider treatment options carefully. They should discuss each type of treatment and how it might change the way the patient looks, talks, eats, or breathes.
Surgery. The surgeon may remove the cancer and some of the healthy tissue around it. Lymph nodes in the neck may also be removed (lymph node dissection), if the doctor suspects that the cancer has spread. Surgery may be followed by radiation treatment.
Radiation Therapy. The goal of radiation therapy is to kill cancer cells while harming as little normal tissue as possible. This therapy may be used before, during and/or after chemotherapy, and is delivered in one of two ways—depending on the type and stage of cancer being treated.
Radiation can either be administered to the affected area(s) from outside the body or, in other instances, inserted through a needle or catheter into or near the cancer. One of the latest breakthroughs in radiation therapy is TomoTherapy.
TomoTherapy is a type of image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) used very effectively to treat cancers of the head and neck. This therapy allows radiation oncologists to precisely target the tumor while sparing healthy tissue surrounding the tumor (like the salivary gland).
Chemotherapy. This treatment uses potent drugs to eradicate, shrink, slow the growth of, or prevent cancer from spreading. Typically, a combination of drugs is administered intravenously (directly into the veins) in a series of treatments over a period of weeks or months, with breaks in-between so that the patient’s body can recover.
Clinical Trials. The Lacks Cancer Center is currently conducting clinical trials in the treatment of head and neck cancer in conjunction with the Grand Rapids Clinical Oncology Program (GRCOP), a group that establishes standards of care in radiation therapy.
To learn more about the trials or to find out if you qualify for an RTOG trial contact Dr. Padula's office at (616) 685-6218.