JOIN USLatest research in the field of cancer has come up with new and surprising results. Experts are now suggesting that trans-oral robotic surgery, also called TORS, could revolutionise the head and neck cancer treatment. The cancer of head and neck region includes base of the tongue, tonsil, pharynx and larynx.
The conventional treatment for these cancers is radiotherapy along with chemotherapy. Till date, these areas have been difficult to treat as the conventional surgery comes with cosmetic and logical issues (like extreme difficulty in eating and drinking).
Radiotherapy for cancer in the head and neck area brings many untold challenges for the patients. Radiotherapy along with chemotherapy has many long-term side effects. Latest data suggests that following chemoradiation, up to 30% of patients are unable to eat normally by mouth. Most of them suffer lifelong from a dry mouth and chronic pain.
Many patients do not respond completely to this treatment, and some cancer is left uncured. As the data suggests, there is not only an increase in the rise of cancer surgeries but also in the financial and emotional burden of the patients and the caretakers.
With some robotic help
Trans-oral robotic surgery is a minimally invasive approach for the head and neck cancer treatment. When you see a patient who has undergone TORS, you can’t make out if there has been a surgery as there are no large wounds. TORS is carried out through the mouth of the patient. The surgeon sits with a robotic console and performs the surgery with the help of controlled robotic arms. During the surgery, the surgeon monitors all the activities through a monitor fitted in the console.
Instead of cutting open the patient’s face and mouth, TORS is conducted without creating any wound to access the tumour. It is done using various five mm and eight mm instruments through the mouth itself, and a 3-D HD camera arm is used for surgical dissection, bleeding control and suture or flap repair, if necessary. The minimal invasion drastically reduces the trauma, blood loss, disruptions in the local nerves, tissues and bones, hospital stay and recovery time, thereby positively influencing the clinical outcomes, the quality of life post-surgery.
The cancers of the oropharynx (base of tongue, tonsil, etc), hypopharynx and supraglottic larynx could be effectively treated by TORS. Thanks to TORS, now patients of head and neck cancer can undergo surgery without having to bother about the side effects of chemoradiation. Being a comparatively new technology, patients as well as medical practitioners are yet to have a better understanding of TORS. Needless to say, awareness about the technology could help thousands of people across the country suffering from various types of head and neck cancers.
(The author is with MACS Clinic, Bengaluru)