Curing the cancer while protecting the way you speak, swallow and smile.
Head and neck cancers sit at the crossroads of survival and identity — they affect how we eat, talk, and are seen. Surgery here demands millimetre judgement: remove enough to cure, preserve everything that makes you, you.
What are head & neck cancers?
These cancers begin in the moist surfaces of the mouth, nose and throat, or in the glands of the region — tongue, cheek, voice box (larynx), tonsil, thyroid, parotid and sinuses. In Gujarat, most arise in people who chew tobacco, gutkha or areca nut, smoke, or drink alcohol regularly — but they also occur without any of these.
The encouraging truth: caught early, many are cured with a single well-planned surgery, sometimes without any radiation. Even advanced ones respond remarkably to combined treatment when staging is done properly first.
The neck lump rule: any lump in the side of the neck lasting more than three weeks deserves examination — it is often the first signal.
“Most patients tell me afterwards — ‘I wish I had come six months earlier.’ Come now.”
Warning signs that deserve a specialist’s eyes
Any of these lasting more than three weeks — especially with tobacco history — warrants examination. Most will be innocent; the ones that aren’t are exactly why we check.
- ①Mouth ulcer that hasn’t healed in three weeks, or bleeds when touched.
- ②A lump in the neck — painless lumps are the ones people ignore longest.
- ③Persistent hoarseness or voice change beyond three weeks.
- ④Difficulty or pain swallowing, food “sticking” on one side.
- ⑤White or red patches inside the mouth, or a growing mouth ulcer.
- ⑥One-sided ear pain with a normal ear examination — a classic throat sign.
- ⑦Bleeding or blocked nostril on one side only, or loose upper teeth.
- ⑧A swelling in front of or below the ear (parotid/submandibular gland).
Cancers we treat in this region
◆Mouth & Tongue
Oral cavity cancers including buccal mucosa, floor of mouth, alveolus — among the commonest in Gujarat.
◆Throat & Voice Box
Oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx — with voice preservation prioritised wherever oncologically safe.
◆Thyroid
Papillary, follicular, medullary cancers and complex goitres; recurrent laryngeal nerve preservation is non-negotiable.
◆Salivary Glands
Parotid and submandibular tumours with facial nerve function protected.
◆Nose & Sinuses
Sinonasal malignancies requiring combined skull-base planning.
◆Neck Nodes of Unknown Origin
Systematic workup to find the hidden primary — a subspecialty in itself.
Operations performed here
- ◆Composite resections for oral cancerTumour removal with precise margin control; rim/hemi/total glossectomy as needed, with primary reconstruction.
- ◆Laryngectomy — partial & totalChosen only when voice-preserving options (laser, partial procedures) cannot safely cure.
- ◆Transoral laser surgeryNo external cut for selected throat cancers; faster recovery of speech and swallow.
- ◆Neck dissectionsRadical and modified radical — clearing lymph nodes while protecting nerves and vessels.
- ◆Thyroidectomy & parotidectomyNerve identification and preservation as standard practice.
- ◆Reconstruction coordinationLocal flaps and free-flap reconstruction planned with microvascular colleagues for large defects.
From first visit to full recovery
Examination & endoscopy
The tumour is seen directly; biopsies taken the right way.
Staging scans
MRI/CT and ultrasound map exactly what surgery must address.
Tumour board plan
Radiation and medical oncology weigh in before — not after — decisions.
Surgery
Curative resection with reconstruction, planned to the millimetre.
Rehabilitation
Speech and swallow therapy begins early — often within days.
Surveillance
Scheduled reviews catch anything early, when it’s still easy.
Families usually ask…
In the majority of cases, yes — voice-preservation techniques are the default consideration, not the exception. When total laryngectomy is truly necessary, modern voice restoration (tracheo-oesophageal puncture, electrolarynx) gives most patients strong, usable speech again.
Small laser procedures: 1–2 days. Major composite resections: typically 7–10 days including swallow training. You’ll get a written day-by-day expectation before consenting.
The common types (papillary/follicular) have excellent long-term cure rates — most patients live completely normal lives after surgery with hormone tablets. Medullary and anaplastic types need more aggressive, individualised plans which we discuss honestly.
Depends entirely on final pathology — depth, margins, nodes. Early oral and thyroid cancers frequently avoid it altogether. We decide based on evidence, not habit.
Yes — a screening oral examination takes five minutes and can catch precancerous changes years before cancer. Quitting support is part of our consultation too, without judgment.