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Novel Surgery Improves Quality Of Life For Head And Neck Cancer Patients: Study

NEW YORK CITY,NY (July,2002) -- Radiofrequency ablation treatments provide significant reduction in pain and discomfort for head and neck cancer patients with advanced tumors in the mouth and throat, according to a recent study of patients at Montefiore Medical Center, the Bronx NY. Head and neck cancers account for approximately 3 percent of all cancers in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute.

“This is the first use of radiofrequency ablation in head and neck patients and the results are extremely encouraging,” said Randall P. Owen, MD, a head and neck surgeon at Montefiore and principal author of the study, which appeared in the May 16, 2002 online publication of the professional surgical journal, Head & Neck and will appear in the hard copy version of the journal in August, 2002. “Before treatment, some of the patients could not close their mouths because of the tumor size. They were not candidates for standard surgery, and the radiofrequency ablation controlled the cancer locally, had minimal damage to healthy surrounding tissue and was palliative,” he said.

While radiofrequency ablation, a procedure that destroys cancerous tissue instantly through heat, has been used in other tumor types, such as liver tumors, this is the first study of its effectiveness and safety in treating cancer of the head and neck. The four patients in the study had received external beam radiation, chemotherapy or brachytherapy (radioactive seed implants).

The groundbreaking pilot study continues to enlist patients to definitively assess the long-term usefulness of radiofrequency ablation in head and neck tumors, the authors state. Patients or physicians interested in learning more about the study should call Dr. Owen at (718) 920-4308 or contact him via e-mail at rpowen@montefiore.org.

Montefiore Medical Centeris the University Hospital and Academic Medical Center for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Susan M. Coupey, MD

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