HNC cutting edge treatment-In the news

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ratface
ratface Member Posts: 1,337 Member
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
May cover story of SPOHNC (Support for People with head and neck cancer)

AEROSMITH STAR:SAVING VOICES WITH LASERS

Steven Zeitels, MD FACS, Director, Mass general Hospital Voice Center
Eugene B. Casey, Professor at Harvard Medical School

I found this stuff to be cutting edge. These guys developed a laser which feeds on blood supply. Cancer tissue has more blood supply thus more oxygen. The surgeon can see the difference in the combustion of tissue. The laser will burn brighter with more oxygen because it is in the cancer field. When it lessens in intensity the surgeon knows he has a clean margin. It was developed for vocal chord cancer but was recently used in a base of the tongue case. This is robotic laser surgery at the base of the tongue. It has two major implications for us, one it's an alternative treatment when traditional chemo and radiation have failed to get rid of the tumor. Two , it lets the surgeon go in trans robotic without having to cut through the neck for large tumors which alleviates some really morbid levels of life afterwords. This is the only guy doing it right now, but it will spread as he trains more doctors at his clinic.

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  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    #2
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    hahaha.... You said "cutting edge"
    this makes you a funny man. Neverthless, this is pretty good stuff.
  • jtl
    jtl Member Posts: 456
    #3
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    Good news for sure. Maybe
    Good news for sure. Maybe with all the HPV+ cases this cancer will get some well deserved attention and new treatments.
  • jim and i
    jim and i Member Posts: 1,788 Member
    #4
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    Great news. Thanks for
    Great news. Thanks for sharing.
  • Tim6003
    Tim6003 Member Posts: 1,514 Member
    #5
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    jim and i said:

    Great news. Thanks for
    Great news. Thanks for sharing.

    I saw that too...
    Hey ratface ...isn't that in Houston? The robotic surgery machine? I think that's great news.

    Tim / Idaho
  • ratface
    ratface Member Posts: 1,337 Member
    #6
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    Tim6003 said:

    I saw that too...
    Hey ratface ...isn't that in Houston? The robotic surgery machine? I think that's great news.

    Tim / Idaho

    New England area
    Tim, the doctor works out of Mass. General Hospital and is accepting new patients as I took a peek at his bio. If I were just diagnosed with vocal chord cancer or had a failed go of BOT I would be scheduling an appointment with this guy. The robotic surgery is the Da Vinci robot, this is robotic, but with lasers. I don't know what the robot uses, maybe lawn mower blades?
  • jtl
    jtl Member Posts: 456
    #7
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    ratface said:

    New England area
    Tim, the doctor works out of Mass. General Hospital and is accepting new patients as I took a peek at his bio. If I were just diagnosed with vocal chord cancer or had a failed go of BOT I would be scheduling an appointment with this guy. The robotic surgery is the Da Vinci robot, this is robotic, but with lasers. I don't know what the robot uses, maybe lawn mower blades?

    I would have tried it and
    I would have tried it and skipped the rt and the Erbitux. The affected lymph node was alread removed so all I had that was obvious was the small area on my throat that would have been easy to reach. I can touch it with my finger.
  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    #8
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    ratface said:

    New England area
    Tim, the doctor works out of Mass. General Hospital and is accepting new patients as I took a peek at his bio. If I were just diagnosed with vocal chord cancer or had a failed go of BOT I would be scheduling an appointment with this guy. The robotic surgery is the Da Vinci robot, this is robotic, but with lasers. I don't know what the robot uses, maybe lawn mower blades?

    you just said lawm mower blades
    one more funny and Im booking you in Vegas.
  • tommyodavey
    tommyodavey Member Posts: 727 Member
    #9
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    longtermsurvivor said:

    you just said lawm mower blades
    one more funny and Im booking you in Vegas.

    TORS
    I had the robot to do my tongue surgery and my surgeon said it was a laser. As it cuts the tumor out, it cauterizes the wound so there is very little bleeding. Only one doctor in town is authorized to use it and I was fortunate enough to have him as my surgeon. If he wasn't available my ENT told me she'd send me to UCLA. (Los Angeles)

    Yes, I am very grateful for modern medicine.

    Tom

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