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Cancer Care Options You Won’t Find EverywhereAggressive treatment can succeed even for very advanced head and neck cancers. Reducing side effects helps avoid treatment interruptions. Cancers of the head and neck (tonsil, tongue, mouth, throat, and voice box cancers) are among the most devastating forms of human cancers. At Lehigh Valley Hospital, we combine radiation, chemotherapy and surgery to treat head and neck cancers aggressively. In these cancers, aggressive treatment is often successful even when the cancer is very advanced.Surgery is a frequent treatment to remove tumors and reconstruct the affected area. However, high-dose radiation can sometimes replace or limit surgery, especially when it is combined with chemotherapy. This can help people preserve normal organ function -- such as voice box or tongue -- and still be cured of cancer. At Lehigh Valley Hospital’s Cancer Center, radiation oncologists use powerful linear accelerators with Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). This means they can direct a high dose of radiation to the cancer and keep more radiation away from healthy tissue. Brachytherapy (implanted radioactive material) is another way to deliver the highest dose of radiation to the targeted area with minimal doses to surrounding tissue. Medical oncologists use the latest treatment options with chemotherapy as well as newer biologic therapies which are showing great promise. Our best results come when we can treat your cancer without interruption. Treatment interruptions are occasionally necessary when the side effects of treatment become such a burden that a break is needed to allow healthy tissues to recover from the effects of treatment. Side effects include irritation of the mucous membranes, dry mouth and trouble swallowing. To make sure your side effects don’t become more than you can deal with, we aggressively manage side effects, too. We use topical treatments to soothe and help heal the mouth lining, creams and ointments for the skin, pain management for throat discomfort and nutrition counseling and other support for patients. This approach of managing expected side effects right from the beginning of treatment allows us to deliver your treatments as planned, for the best possible results. This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM
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