Head and Neck Surgery

Head and neck tumors include those of the mouth, throat, sinuses/nasal cavity, larynx, thyroid, and skull base. Although alcohol abuse and tobacco use are the primary causes of these cancers, doctors are increasingly seeing patients with head and neck cancers without those risk factors whose disease may be associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.

Because the care of patients with these tumors is often multidisciplinary, NewYork-Presbyterian surgeons collaborate with medical and radiation oncologists to customize the most appropriate plan of therapy for each patient.

NewYork-Presbyterian surgeons take a minimally invasive approach to head and neck cancer surgery whenever possible. Our surgeons have pioneered endoscopic approaches to tumor removal that are performed without having to make any external incisions. For example, some early-stage and mid-stage tumors of the tongue base, tonsils, larynx, and pharynx can be removed through the mouth, while some skull base tumors may be removed through the nose. Such approaches reduce the need for tracheostomy, a feeding tube after surgery, reduce the length of the hospital stay, and speed recovery.