97 - Transoral Approaches to Malignant Neoplasms of the Oropharynx

Abstract

The palatine tonsils and lingual tonsil in the oropharynx are key sites of development of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. A growing number of these cancers are mediated by high-risk human papillomavirus, occur in younger adults, and are treatable by transoral surgery with or without adjuvant radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy. This chapter discusses oropharyngeal anatomy from the “inside-out” transoral perspective, transoral surgery by different modalities, and the strategy of surgery followed by decreased radiotherapy doses to maximize function after treatment of oropharyngeal cancer.