UAB’s Head and neck Oncology program is a national leader in the treatment of head and neck cancers, ranked among the top programs in the country by U.S.News & World Report.  We offer a number of surgical and nonsurgical multidisciplinary treatment options for benign and malignant tumors. Our physicians work collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary setting to offer comprehensive diagnosis and treatment.

The Head and Neck Oncology program addresses both benign and malignant tumors of the oral cavity, nose and paranasal sinuses, orbit, salivary glands, pharynx (throat), larynx, skull base, thyroid and parathyroid glands, and skin of the head, face, and neck. The program manages all aspects of head and neck diseases including complex reconstruction surgery and speech therapy. Clinical trials are available for many disease types.

Our Services

• Multi-disciplinary tumor conference
• Major ablative surgery for benign or malignant neoplasms of head and neck
• Removal of benign and malignant skull base tumors
• Microvascular reconstructive surgery
• Minimally invasive trans oral laser surgery
• Minimally invasive robotic surgery
• Minimally invasive thyroid and parathyroid surgery
• Speech and swallowing rehabilitation
   

Our Virtual Multi-disciplinary Clinic allows patients to come from a distance and have much of their initial assessment done with all services in one day, rather than multiple visits to multiple doctors.

Our Team of Experts
The head and neck cancer program has a team of physicians dedicated to treating all tumors of the head and neck with the latest technology. Because our physicians are trained regional specialists in head and neck surgery, you can rest assured you’re receiving the best care available. We work with specialists in other areas of care when necessary to give you a comprehensive approach to treatment.

Search our physician directory to learn more about our team.

Locations

5th Floor, The Kirklin Clinic at UAB
2000 6th Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35233

Symptoms and Signs

Symptoms for cancers of the head and neck vary greatly depending on the type and location of cancer. For instance, symptoms of mouth cancer might include a sore that doesn’t heal, a lump or thickening in the skin in or around the mouth or tongue, difficulty or pain with swallowing or jaw pain. But symptoms of laryngeal cancer could include trouble breathing, swollen lymph nodes in your neck or pain in your throat or neck spreading up to your ears.

Because there are many types of head and neck cancers, talk to your doctor if you have any discomfort, pain, difficulty swallowing, change in voice quality, swelling or lumps in your head or neck.

Diagnosis and Treatment
Some of the most common types of head and neck cancers are:

• Oral Cancer
• Laryngeal Cancer
• Throat Cancer
• Nasal Cavity and Paranasal Sinus Cancers
• Salivary Gland Cancer
• Thyroid Cancer
• Parathyroid Tumors

Treatment of head and neck cancers varies according to the type, severity and location of the disease. Surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy are all traditional options for treatment, however UAB is pioneering robotic surgery for the treatment of head and neck cancers with the da Vinci system, and minimally invasive techniques for thyroid and parathyroid surgery.

UAB physicians were the first in the Southeast to use the da Vinci robotically-assisted surgical system to treat pharyngeal and tongue-base tumors. This minimally invasive procedure allows physicians to spare patients the more radical procedures to gain access to a malignancy. It also allows for vocal retention and preserved swallowing function.

Talk to your doctor to see if you might be a candidate for robotically-assisted surgery through the da Vinci system.

Our Clinical Trials
UAB’s Head and Neck Cancer clinic is constantly working to find better treatments and a cure for all types of head and neck cancers. Talk to your doctor to see if you are a candidate for one of UAB’s head and neck cancer clinical trials.