Transoral Robotic Surgery for Oropharyngeal and Hypopharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 16; no. 3; p. e57186
• Main Authors: Tan, Wilhelmina, Bui, Rebecca, Ranasinghe, Viran J, Coblens, Orly, Shabani, Sepehr
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Cureus Inc 29-03-2024; Cureus
• Subjects: Cancer therapies; Head & neck cancer; Human papillomavirus; Ostomy; Otolaryngology; Patients; Quality of life; Radiation therapy; Robotic surgery; Squamous cell carcinoma; Surgeons; Swallowing; Throat cancer; Tumors; head and neck neoplasms; oropharyngeal scc; transoral robotic surgery; hypopharyngeal cancer; functional and clinical outcome
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.57186

With oropharyngeal cancer incidence rising globally, largely due to human papillomavirus (HPV), and hypopharyngeal cancer known for poor outcomes, innovative treatments are needed. Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) offers a minimally invasive approach that may improve upon traditional open surgery and radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy (RT/CRT) methods. We conducted a literature review and included 40 PubMed studies comparing TORS, open surgery, and RT/CRT for oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), focusing on survival rates and swallowing function outcomes. TORS provides favorable survival outcomes and typically results in superior swallowing function post-treatment compared to other therapeutic modalities in both oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal SCCs. The clinical benefits of TORS, including improved operative precision and minimized tissue disruption, along with the elimination of surgical incision recovery and reduced RT toxicity, suggest it is a valuable surgical approach for head and neck cancers.