Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer- Your road to recovery
Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer and its success majorly depends upon the experience of the Head and Neck Surgeon. His maturity and surgical skills ensure radical/complete removal of the tumor and, at the same time, keep the morbidity of such extensive and time-consuming surgical procedures to the minimum. Careful planning and execution of treatment individualized to suit the particular needs and concerns of the patient and the type and stage of his cancer/tumor ensure quick recovery and early return to normalcy.
The chief aim of good treatment of Head and Neck Cancer is the lasting cure of this dreadful disease while at the same time preservation of physiological functions of the aero-digestive tract, that is to say, the functions of speech, swallowing and breathing through regular passages with minimum need for artificial supports in the form of tubes and ventilators.
Last but not least is the vital goal of preservation of a normal, happy, and healthy look of the patient and, of course, a will and confidence to lead the rest of their life to the fullest.
Though Surgery plays the most crucial part in the treatment of Head and Neck Cancer, since most patients with Head and Neck Cancer report late, especially in India, they often need a multi-disciplinary treatment approach, including Surgery, Radiation, and Chemotherapy.
It requires a very mature handling and team effort to plan and execute the treatment because the sequencing of these three modalities is as important as the execution of a perfect surgery. Some patients who present with very advanced disease do better with pre-operative chemotherapy or chemo as well as radiotherapy to increase chances of cure and reduce the morbidity of treatment.
Why Choose Our Head and Neck Surgeon?
Our Head and Neck Surgeon has more than 30 years of experience in Head and Neck Cancer Surgery and is one of the senior Head and neck Surgeons not only in Tricity but in the entire country. His Head and Neck Surgery techniques, available in the form of YouTube videos and research papers, are followed by thousands of Surgeons all over the world. He is popularly referred to as a bloodless surgeon by his students and colleagues since his art and craft ensure almost zero blood loss during Surgery.
Our Head and Neck Cancer team has one of the ablest plastic surgeons with incomparable results from his micro-vascular repairs. The team is replete with a complete complement of extremely senior medical and radiation oncologists with experience of more than 25 years in their fields.

Symptoms of Head and Neck Cancer.
Head and Neck Cancers are far more common amongst the population with tobacco exposure, be it in the form of smoking or tobacco chewing. So, the chief known cause of Head and Neck Cancers though is tobacco indeed. Still, other causes like chronic/long-standing injury from a sharp tooth or mal-fitting dentures, as well as genetic/hereditary causes, have a role to play in the causation of this sinister disease.
Anybody with an ulcer, swelling, bleeding, or wound anywhere in the mouth or gullet/pharynx must show themselves to a Head and Neck Cancer expert. It is worth knowing that when/if Head and Neck Cancer is diagnosed early, the Surgery is relatively tiny, and recovery is so quick that the patient can be back to normalcy within a week, with no alteration of physiological functions or change of facial features and with no need for Radiation or Chemotherapy.
Our success rates.
We treat all types of Head and Neck Cancers. Our Commando procedures have world-class success rates in cure rates and cosmetic and functional results. Blood loss in our Head and Neck Surgeries is practically nil, rarely ever more than 50 ml, and we have rarely needed any blood transfusions in any of our Head and Neck Surgeries.
Our neck dissections have the least incidence of injury to the marginal mandibular nerve (the nerve responsible for the smile of the patient). Our Parotidectomy has practically no incidence of injury to the facial nerve. Our thyroidectomies have nearly no incidence of injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve (the nerve liable for normal voice). Most of our patients can speak and swallow normally and are up and about on the very evening of Surgery, and we can discharge most of our patients back home after Surgery within 2 to 3 days.
Head and Neck Cancers we treat.
We treat cancers of the mouth, including buccal mucosa (inner lining of the cheek) and cancers of the gums, jaws, maxilla, and tongue. We also treat all forms of salivary gland tumors, including parotid gland and submandibular gland tumors, as well as all types of thyroid cancers. Oropharyngeal cancers are operated with Robotic Surgery. Cancer of the larynx and hypopharynx is also treated, and attention is paid to voice rehabilitation.
Treatment options
Surgery, open or robotic, depending upon individual case and type of Cancer, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy/ immunotherapy are available. Early-stage cancers can usually be treated with single modality therapy; however, advanced stages require a mix of all these options. Their sequencing also depends upon the stage and site of Cancer.
Types of Head and Neck Cancer
These can occur in any site, such as the oral cavity, i.e., mouth, pharynx, larynx, maxilla, and paranasal sinuses. Thyroid/Parathyroid and Salivary gland cancers are also grouped under Head and Neck Cancers.
When the neck nodes are not involved, and the swelling is slightly smaller than 4 cm, we call it early.
We know of the neck nodes by clinical examination and PET CT, but the final answer comes from the biopsy report after the neck surgery, which is called neck dissection.
Most patients require neck surgery, either a limited one or a complete/comprehensive neck dissection.
Most patients with tongue cancer can speak and swallow almost normally after Surgery.
In patients with Cancer of the jaw, we need to remove the part of the jaw which Cancer destroys. The removed bit is replaced by either the patient’s soft tissues or bone or a titanium plate, and the patient looks almost normal after Surgery.
Robotic Surgery is like Laporo-Scopic Surgery. It employs thin needle-like arms to reach places inaccessible to the hands. So, it is best suited to Oro-pharyngeal and Laryngeal cancers.
Definitely yes. But remember that it is the stage in which the Cancer is diagnosed, which is the chief factor that decides cure and survival after cancer treatment. Early cancers are eminently curable. It is the hesitation to go to a suitable medical facility that is the most important cause of delay in diagnosis and late-stage cancers.
The dreadful pictures of patients affected by Head and Neck cancer shown by the media are basically aimed at making people aware of the risks of smoking and tobacco use. However, though smoking and tobacco use continue unabated, paradoxically so, people have become scared of reporting to a suitable medical facility at the right time. If this disease is treated in time, in its early stages, it is eminently curable, and it doesn’t need to be so scared of.
Anything in life, when misused, becomes a cause of concern and positively harmful. Alternative systems of medicine are better termed complementary medicines. So, modern mainstream scientific medicine and the so-called alternative medicines, all put together, help bring the patient back to positive health.