Robotic Surgery: A New Approach to Tumors of the Tongue Base, Oropharynx, and Hypopharynx

Abstract

Oropharyngeal cancer was traditionally treated with en bloc resection of the tumor via lip-split mandibulotomy approach, often with adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy. In the 1990s, organ-sparing definitive chemoradiation therapy without surgery became the standard of care for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Although organ-sparing treatment provided acceptable locoregional disease control with preservation of anatomic organs adjacent to the tumors and less disfiguration from lack of surgical incisions, it often resulted in significant deficits in speech and swallowing. This article reviews a current organ-and-function preserving approach to oropharyngeal carcinoma using the surgical robot.