Use of lasers in head and neck cancer

Abstract

Trans-oral endoscopic laser excision of upper aerodigestive cancers is a relatively new and exciting therapeutic option, with the advantage of being organ-sparing and hence function-preserving. It is relatively straightforward to perform, although requires expertise and expensive equipment, and there is a "learning-curve" - it is very operator-dependant. For early laryngeal tumours, where the oncologic results are excellent, it can avoid prolonged radiotherapy and hence is less expensive. Since over 10% of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma survivors develop a second malignancy, avoiding radiotherapy is a worthwhile attribute. However, there are no good controlled studies comparing vocal ..