Preventing Head and Neck Cancer According to Dr. Carroll, several risky behaviors contribute significantly to the development of head and neck cancer. He says that the most effective prevention strategy is to avoid smoking; chewing tobacco; and drinking alcohol excessively.

What’s on a surgeon’s wish list? Many would say a better view, better instruments, and a more delicate touch—all of which can lead to smooth, successful procedures. Now UAB surgeons have fulfilled some of those wishes with the addition of da Vinci, a robot “assistant” that offers hope and healing for patients with cancer of the head and neck.

UAB was the first medical center in Alabama to use the da Vinci surgical robot, which allows specialists to treat cancer with tiny incisions and minimal effect on surrounding healthy tissue. The surgeon controls the robot from a console that provides a detailed three-dimensional view—magnified 10 times—of the operation site; the technology also translates his or her hand movements into the precise motions of tiny instruments that operate within a controlled space.

“This is an option for patients to have minimally invasive surgery—and one that could effectively remove the cancer while causing fewer side effects,” says William Carroll, M.D., a head and neck surgeon with the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center. Head and neck cancers include cancers of the oral cavity, salivary glands, sinuses and nasal cavities, pharynx, and larynx; Dr. Carroll says that robot-assisted surgery can reduce the impact on appearance and speech associated with traditional surgery, as well as shortening recovery time.

Dr. Carroll was one of the first surgeons to use the da Vinci robot for head and neck cancers. He and other UAB surgeons adapted the robot, originally designed for operating on the lower and middle sections of the body, to treat cancer in the narrow cavities of the head and neck by developing new operating techniques and positions for the robot’s arms.