Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS)
To perform transoral robotic surgery (TORS), your surgeon removes the tumor through your mouth using specialized miniature tools that they control through a computer. This allows them to see difficult-to-reach areas up close and remove cancer with precision, Mur says.
After a TORS procedure, people typically experience a shorter hospital stay and faster recovery than with open surgery, Mur adds. Research shows this surgery also leads to better swallowing ability and fewer complications afterward.
Your care team will assess your tumor and your overall health to decide if TORS is a good option for you. “The primary limitation is that it is not appropriate for all tumor sizes or locations,” says Mur, adding that not all surgical centers have access to robotic-trained surgical teams.
Laser Microsurgery
During laser microsurgery, a surgeon places a long, thin tube called an endoscope into your mouth until the end rests close to your tumor. This tube contains a camera and light, so your doctor can see the tumor and remove it with a precise laser beam.
Like TORS, laser microsurgery offers a faster recovery time than open surgery. Research also shows this surgery can increase survival compared with other types of treatment, like partial surgery and radiotherapy.
“However, like TORS, it is best suited for earlier-stage disease, and outcomes are highly dependent on surgeon expertise,” says Mur. Some tumors are harder to see with laser microsurgery, which may limit how much can be removed.
Partial Laryngectomy
When robotic and laser surgeries aren’t an option, your surgeon can still preserve your voice with a partial laryngectomy, or removing part of your throat.
“Those are open procedures, whereby we open the voice box, remove the affected cancer, and then typically reconstruct it with a whole variety of techniques,” Lamarre says.
Depending on your tumor location and type, your surgeon may remove part of your throat above your vocal cords, or just one cord (one side). These variations can help you keep the ability to speak after surgery.
Radiation and Chemotherapy
For some tumors, radiation alone or radiation plus chemotherapy can replace surgery by eradicating tumors, offering even better protection for your voice. “Radiation therapy can treat throat cancer while preserving anatomical structures, making it an excellent option for certain patients,” Mur says.
For throat cancer, chemotherapy works best alongside radiation (a treatment called chemoradiation). Chemotherapy serves two functions: It makes your tumor more sensitive to radiation, and it can help manage any cancer that has spread to other organs, says Lamarre.
Chemotherapy and radiation can come with side effects like dry mouth, trouble swallowing, fatigue, nausea, and immune system depression. But your care team will monitor these and provide options to ease discomfort.
While chemoradiation may allow you to keep the voice box, the voice quality and swallowing function may or may not be the same.
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