A Patient's Story Read about Jose's battle with early-stage laryngeal cancer 
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More than 3,500 people seek treatment for head and neck cancer at Memorial Sloan-Kettering each year. Each patient receives individualized treatment and rehabilitation services tailored to his or her needs.
Memorial Sloan-Kettering's depth of experience ranges from treating fairly common head and neck cancers to more complicated and difficult cases. Many of the physicians on our team are recognized leaders in the field, actively participating in organizations such as the American Head and Neck Society, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Our doctors conduct clinical trials to evaluate the latest therapies, hold frequent seminars for visiting physicians, and lecture at major conferences and institutions around the world.
Team Approach to Care
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Team Leadership (From left) Jatin Shah, Chief, Head and Neck Service;
David Pfister, Chief, Head and Neck Medical Oncology Service |
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Treating head and neck cancers can be a complex undertaking involving not only issues of survival but also concerns about quality of life, appearance and self-image, and functions such as vision, smell, hearing, speech, and swallowing. Our physicians develop a comprehensive treatment plan for each patient, taking into account all facets of their care and the entire range of treatment options.
More than 45 medical professionals are on Memorial Sloan-Kettering's Head and Neck Disease Management Team, which includes specialists in surgery, radiation oncology, medical oncology, endocrinology, radiology, pathology, speech therapy, plastic and reconstructive surgery, dental and maxillofacial prosthetics, nutrition, and pain management. The group meets weekly and works together to meet their patients' diverse needs.
The team also includes professionals who can help patients and their families cope with the emotional and practical aspects of disease, and others who can help with related issues such as cessation of smoking and alcohol use, as these behaviors complicate treatment and sometimes lead to additional head and neck cancers.
Curative Treatments & A Focus on Quality of Life
When planning each patient's course of treatment, our doctors strive to preserve quality of life. Surgery is often the primary form of treatment for head and neck cancers. By using the latest reconstructive techniques, surgeons also can restore organ function and facial appearance while maintaining cure of cancer as the primary goal.
Our group of head and neck, reconstructive, and dental surgeons operates on more than 1,500 patients with head and neck cancer each year. Some surgical procedures have been developed at Memorial Sloan-Kettering that allow for tumors to be removed while preserving appearance and ability to function. For example, removing tumors from complex areas such as the skull base that would not have been possible in the past are now performed.1
In addition, treating advanced cancer of the larynx or surrounding structures once required removal of the voice box; today, because of advancements in combined treatments with chemotherapy and radiation, most patients are able to retain their voice boxes and can speak normally.2
Patients with head and neck cancer who may benefit from treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering include those requiring multidisciplinary evaluation and treatment, those seeking to optimize cure as well as functional and cosmetic outcomes, and patients who need access to the latest clinical trials.
Multimodal Therapies
Our Publications Visit PubMed for journal articles from our head and neck cancer experts
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Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering are working to further refine the roles of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy in the preservation of appearance and ability to function.
For patients with inoperable tumors, or for whom surgery might result in significant disfigurement or poor function, Memorial Sloan-Kettering physicians have developed innovative chemotherapy and radiation therapy treatments designed to improve quality of life. By using a method called intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) to deliver higher doses of radiation to the cancer with greater precision while sparing normal tissue, our doctors have found they can potentially increase the effectiveness of treatment and decrease the side effects. In addition, image-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy is available at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, which further ensures accurate and precise radiation treatments.
Targeted chemotherapies, when combined with radiation and surgery, also offer promise to patients for whom more common treatments have not been effective. In addition, new chemotherapy drugs and biologic therapies are under investigation to more effectively treat head and neck cancers.
Our Head and Neck Disease Management Team includes oral cancer experts who are working to promote the early diagnosis and treatment of oral cavity cancers and are leading a worldwide effort to learn how best to prevent these cancers.
Investigational Approaches
Find a Clinical Trial Find out about new research studies for head and neck cancers
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Clinical trials are under way to assess the effectiveness of several novel substances and new combinations of proven treatments in preventing cancer or reversing premalignant lesions. In addition, researchers in Memorial Sloan-Kettering's Laboratory of Epithelial Cancer Biology are exploring important areas in basic science that relate to head and neck cancers and are studying chemoprevention strategies for these diseases.
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Genetics & Molecular Biology
As part of the ongoing investigation into the human genome, scientists in Memorial Sloan-Kettering's cancer genetics laboratories are working to identify steps in the development of cancer where the process could be halted or reversed. Our investigators are developing and testing agents to target genes suspected of causing head and neck cancers and exploring how genes may be used to deliver cancer therapy. They are also working to devise safe and effective cancer prevention strategies for tobacco-related cancers.
Investigators at Memorial Sloan-Kettering are at the forefront of research to define the genetic composition of each specific form of head and neck cancer. Armed with this information, it should be possible to improve diagnosis and to select the most effective therapies for each cancer type. Among the techniques we are testing and refining are novel forms of hybridization assays (tests that search for specific DNA or RNA sequences linked to head and neck cancers) and karyotyping (tests to determine the chromosomal makeup of a cell). Research has identified several new cancer-related genes, and our investigators are working to find methods to target them in human cancers.
Focus on the Patient
A Patient's Story Read about Alyssa's battle with tongue cancer
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Because head and neck cancers act differently depending on the location, type, and extent of the disease, individualized treatment strategies are necessary to control and cure them. Our doctors discuss the range of treatment options in detail with each patient and get their input when deciding on the best approach. To help our patients understand their disease and the treatment plan, a customized package of written and illustrated material is developed to provide additional information about what to expect as they undergo treatment, recover, and return to their regular routine. New and relevant information is provided throughout the course of treatment.
Support Services
At Memorial Sloan-Kettering, treatment does not end with the eradication of the cancer. We offer a range of supportive services to patients throughout their treatment and recovery period. To help patients recover as much function as possible, Memorial Sloan-Kettering's Speech, Hearing, and Rehabilitation Center offers a range of rehabilitation and support services, including evaluation of and therapy for voice and swallowing disorders.
Our Support Services We understand that life is different after a diagnosis of cancer
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Patients, their families, and others at risk of developing head and neck cancers also have access to staff members who can help them make lifestyle changes to reduce that risk. Therapy options include counseling for smoking and alcohol cessation, nutritional advice, risk assessment, screening and early-detection examinations, and clinical trials of certain vitamins and other substances intended to prevent cancer or reverse precancerous lesions.
For more information about the services we offer, please visit the Survivorship & Support section of this overview.
1S. G. Patel, B. Singh, A. Polluri, P. G. Bridger, G. Cantu, A. D. Cheesman, G. M. deSa, P. Donald, D. Fliss, P. Gullane, I. Janecka, S. E. Kamata, L. P. Kowalski, D. H. Kraus, P. A. Levine, L. R. dos Santos, S. Pradhan, V. Schramm, C. Snyderman, W. I. Wei, and J. P. Shah, Craniofacial surgery for malignant skull base tumors: report of an international collaborative study, Cancer 98(6), 2003: 1179-87. [PubMed Abstract]
2N. Y. Lee, W. O'Meara, K. Chan, C. Della-Bianca, J. G. Mechalakos, J. Zhung, S. L. Wolden, A. Narayana, D. Kraus, J. P. Shah, and D. G. Pfister, Concurrent chemotherapy and intensity-modulated radiotherapy for locoregionally advanced laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers, International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics 69(2), 2007: 459-68. [PubMed Abstract]
Last Updated: Feb. 27, 2008
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