M Health Fairview Cancer Care team continues to pioneer minimally invasive treatments. With transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for cancers of the mouth and neck, for example, physicians can resect tumors that otherwise would require a lip-split incision or mandibulotomy.
Overview
Your larynx, or your voice box, contains vocal cords that vibrate when you talk. When cancer affects your larynx, you may experience a cough, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing or talking, a sore throat or a lump that doesn’t go away. The vast majority of cases develop from the flat cells called squamous cells that line your larynx. Risk factors are closely associated with smoking and heavy alcohol use.
Our approach
M Health Fairview Cancer Care’s head and neck cancer program provides you with multidisciplinary, comprehensive, and compassionate care for your laryngeal cancer. Many of our physicians have been national leaders in research, including clinical trials coordinated right here, giving you access to the most current medical therapies.
In addition to providing traditional surgery on cancers of the head and neck, the M Health Fairview Cancer Care team continues to pioneer minimally invasive treatments. With transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for cancers of the mouth and neck, for example, physicians can resect tumors that otherwise would require a lip-split incision or mandibulotomy. Our surgeons also use TORS for reconstructive surgery involving a microvascular tissue transfer or free flap.
We also perform endonasal endoscopic surgery for tumors located in and around your sinuses or at the base of your skull. This eliminates external incisions, gives physicians improved visualization and access to deep lesions, and decreases complications from the surgery. We perform as many as 100 endoscopic endonasal skull base procedures every year. This procedure, along with TORS, results in less blood loss, less pain and scarring, shorter hospital stays and a faster return to normal life compared to traditional open surgery.