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 touch how we eat, talk, and are seen. Surgery here demands millimetre judgement: remove enough to cure, preserve everything that makes you recognisably you.
What are head & neck cancers?
These cancers begin in the moist linings of the mouth, nose and throat, or in the glands of the region — tongue, cheek, voice box (larynx), tonsil, thyroid, parotid and sinuses. They are among the commonest cancers we treat.
The encouraging truth: caught early, many are cured with a single well-planned operation — sometimes without radiation at all. Even advanced disease responds remarkably to combined treatment, provided staging is done properly before anything is cut.
The neck-lump rule: any lump on the side of the neck lasting more than three weeks deserves a specialist examination. It is often the first signal — and the easiest moment to act on.
Fear here is understandable; this disease threatens the very things we use to greet each other. That is exactly why every plan is built around function first — cure the cancer, keep the person.
Warning signs that deserve a specialist’s eyes
Any of these persisting beyond three weeks warrants examination. Most will turn out innocent; the ones that aren’t are exactly why we check.
- ①A mouth ulcer that hasn’t healed in three weeks, or bleeds when touched.
- ②A growing lump in the neck — painless lumps are the ones ignored longest.
- ③Difficulty or pain swallowing, food seeming to stick on one side.
- ④Persistent hoarseness or voice change beyond three weeks.
- ⑤One-sided ear pain with a normal ear examination — a classic throat signal.
- ⑥Unexplained nosebleeds or one blocked nostril that never clears.
- ⑦White or red patches anywhere inside the mouth.
- ⑧Loose teeth or ill-fitting dentures without an obvious dental cause.
Cancers we treat in this region
From the tip of the tongue to the deep neck — each mapped, staged and operated with the same discipline.
◆Mouth & Tongue
Oral cavity and tongue cancers — buccal mucosa, floor of mouth, alveolus — with precise margin control.
◆Throat & Voice Box
Oropharynx, hypopharynx and laryngeal cancers, prioritising voice preservation wherever safely possible.
◆Thyroid
Papillary, follicular and medullary cancers and complex goitres; nerve protection is non-negotiable.
◆Salivary Glands
Parotid and submandibular tumours with facial nerve function carefully protected.
◆Nose & Sinuses
Sinonasal tumours needing combined skull-base planning with allied specialists.
◆Skin of the Face & Neck Nodes
Facial skin cancers, and neck node masses worked up systematically to find any hidden primary.
Operations performed here
- ✦Composite resections for oral cancersHemi or total glossectomy when required, with margin precision and primary reconstruction.
- ✦Laryngectomy — partial & totalChosen only when voice-preserving options cannot safely cure; voice restoration planned ahead.
- ✦Transoral laser surgeryNo external cut for selected throat cancers; faster return of speech and swallow.
- ✦ThyroidectomyPerformed with nerve-monitoring principles to protect the voice every time.
- ✦ParotidectomyFacial-nerve identification and preservation as standard, not as luck.
- ✦Neck dissection & reconstructionRadical and modified-radical node clearance, with local and free-flap reconstruction coordinated for large defects.
From first visit to full recovery
Examination & endoscopy
The tumour is seen directly; biopsies taken the right way, the first time.
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 of surgery.
Surveillance
Scheduled reviews catch anything new early, while it is still easy to treat.
Families usually ask…
In the majority of cases, yes — voice preservation is the default consideration, not the exception. When a total laryngectomy truly is necessary, modern voice restoration gives most patients strong, usable speech again. You will know the plan — and the backup plan — before consenting.
Small laser procedures: a day or two. Major resections with reconstruction: typically seven to ten days including swallow training. You receive a written, day-by-day expectation beforehand — no surprises.
The common types (papillary and follicular) have excellent long-term cure rates — most patients live completely normal lives on a simple hormone tablet. Rarer types need more aggressive plans, which we discuss plainly.
It depends entirely on final pathology — depth, margins, node status. Early mouth and thyroid cancers frequently avoid it altogether. The decision follows evidence, not habit.
If removing the cancer creates a defect, rebuilding is part of the same plan — local flaps or free-flap reconstruction coordinated with microvascular colleagues. Appearance and function are designed in, never left for later.