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History

The Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Michigan was founded in 1904 by Roy Bishop Canfield, and subsequently grew and matured under the leadership of Albert Carl Furstenberg, James Hoyt Maxwell, Walter P. Work, and Charles J. Krause.

The current chair, Gregory T. Wolf, began his service at Michigan in 1980, being recruited from the National Cancer Institute. He became chair in 1993. The ideals of excellence in patient care, graduate and postgraduate education, basic and applied research continue to be pursued.

In a nationwide study headed by Dr. Wolf, researchers found that, in patients with advanced laryngeal cancer, radiation therapy combined with chemotherapy is as effective as traditional surgical treatment involving removal of the voice box, which causes loss of normal speech, swallowing and sense of smell functions. The finding is changing the standard treatment for this disease and is being extended to other cancers of the head and neck, as well as breast, rectum and bladder cancers. Modern microvascular reconstructive techniques also are being used to minimize the functional and cosmetic disabilities associated with these cancers.

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University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
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This site is part of the U-M Health System. The information presented is not a tool for self diagnosis or a substitute for professional care. © 2008 U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center