Curing the cancer while protecting the way you speak, swallow and smile.
These cancers sit where survival meets identity — they touch how we eat, talk and are seen. Surgery here demands millimetre judgement: remove enough to cure, preserve everything that makes you, you. Fear is reasonable. So is the outlook, when staging is done properly first.
What are head & neck cancers?
They 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 with no radiation at all. Even advanced ones respond remarkably to combined treatment when staging comes 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.
Warning signs that deserve a specialist’s eyes
Any of these lasting beyond three weeks — especially with a tobacco history — warrants examination. Most will be 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 people ignore longest.
- ③Difficulty or pain swallowing, food “sticking” on one side.
- ④Persistent hoarseness or voice change beyond three weeks.
- ⑤One-sided ear pain with a normal ear examination — a classic throat sign.
- ⑥Unexplained nose bleed, or one blocked nostril that never clears.
- ⑦White or red patches inside the mouth.
- ⑧Loose teeth or dentures that suddenly no longer fit.
Cancers we treat in this region
◆Mouth & Tongue
Oral cavity cancers including buccal mucosa, floor of mouth and alveolus — among the commonest in Gujarat.
◆Throat & Voice Box
Oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx — voice preservation prioritised wherever safely possible.
◆Thyroid
Papillary, follicular and medullary cancers plus complex goitres; nerve protection is non-negotiable.
◆Salivary Glands
Parotid and submandibular tumours with facial nerve function protected.
◆Nose & Sinuses
Sinonasal malignancies requiring combined skull-base planning.
◆Facial Skin & Neck Nodes
Skin cancers of the face, and neck node masses of unknown origin — worked up systematically to find the hidden primary.
Operations performed here
- ◆Composite resections for oral cancerPrecise margin control; rim, hemi or total glossectomy as needed, with reconstruction planned from the start.
- ◆Transoral laser surgeryNo external cut for selected throat cancers; faster recovery of speech and swallow.
- ◆Laryngectomy — partial & totalChosen only when voice-preserving options cannot safely cure.
- ◆Thyroidectomy with nerve-monitoring principlesRecurrent laryngeal nerve identification as standard practice.
- ◆Parotidectomy with facial-nerve preservationMoving faces matter as much as clear margins.
- ◆Neck dissection & reconstructionRadical and modified radical clearance, with local flap and free-flap coordination for larger 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 is 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 get a written day-by-day expectation before consenting.
The common types (papillary and 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, discussed 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 the consultation too, without judgment.