Transoral Robotic Surgery for the Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer of Various Localizations

Background. Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) is a recent endoscopic technique to resect selected head and neck cancers. Study design. In total, 13 patients underwent TORS procedure for resection of head and neck cancers of various localizations, within the ENT Department of Limoges University Hospital Center between March and October 2010. Results. Tumor localizations were aryepiglottic fold (n = 3), pyriform sinus (n = 2), posterior pharyngeal wall (n = 2), base of tongue (n = 2), lateral pharyngeal wall (n = 2), vallecula (n = 1), and epiglottis (n = 1). Average TORS setup time was 23 minutes. Average TORS operative time was 45 minutes. Average hospital stay was 8.4 days. Conclusions. TORS is a new technique that permits excellent resection of selected head and neck cancers with poor morbidity. Future reports on long-term oncologic and functional outcomes are needed to assess the risks and benefits of this approach compared with external approaches and nonsurgical alternatives.