Creighton University Medical Center’s head and neck cancer team works together to develop a course of action and treatment options specifically designed to provide the best outcomes for each patient. Our program is equipped with technology and expertise to execute a treatment program designed to eliminate your cancer. With a multi-disciplinary team working with you, there are numerous options for achieving your best outcome.

Staging

Before deciding on a treatment program, our team will evaluate (or “stage’) the cancer. This important first step gives our physicians a clear picture of each patient’s unique situation, and allows them to plan treatment accordingly. The stage of a cancer is determined by the size and site of the primary tumor, and whether it has spread to other areas of the body.

Staging involves assessing tumors by using the letters T, N and M.

• The size of the primary tumor (T)
• The number and size of metastases to the lymph nodes (N)
• The evidence of distant metastases (M). Cancer that has spread from the original (primary) tumor to distant organs or distant lymph nodes.

Each of these categories is further classified with a number 1 through 4 to give the total stage. Thus a T1-N1-M0 cancer would describe a T1 tumor, N1 lymph node involvement, and no metastases.
Once the T, N and M are determined, a “stage” of I, II, III or IV is assigned:

• Stage I cancers are small, localized and usually curable.
• Stage II and III cancers typically are locally advanced and/or have spread to local lymph nodes.
• Stage IV cancers are usually very large and are metastatic (have spread to distant parts of the body) and generally require multi modality therapy (chemotherapy, radiation therapy and sometimes surgery).

Treatment Options

Head and neck cancer treatment options (modalities) include radiation therapy, surgery or chemotherapy. Radiation therapy or surgery, or a combination of both; along with chemotherapy is the primary treatment program. Every program, like every patient, is different depending on the site and stage of the disease.

Patients with early stage head and neck cancers are often treated using one modality (treatment method), radiation therapy or surgery. Patients with more extensive cancers are often treated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Depending on the clinical scenario, patients may be treated with surgery followed by postoperative radiation therapy chemotherapy.