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Head & Neck Oncology Program

The Head and Neck Oncology Program provides comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation for patients afflicted with cancers arising in the upper aerodigestive tract, such as:

• oral cancer (including gums and tongue)
• cancer of the pharynx (throat)
• cancer of the larynx (voice box)
• cancer occurring in the sinus passages
• the salivary glands
  
  

The program works in collaboration with specialists in otolaryngology, radiation oncology, hematology/oncology, speech and language pathology, hospital dentistry and other related fields. It is committed to understanding the molecular mechanisms of tumor progression, and the genes responsible for drug and radiation resistance that cause our current treatment methods to fail in some patients. Laboratory studies funded by the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research are investigating the genes associated with rapid tumor progression and response to therapy. Utilizing information gleaned from these studies, more effective treatment protocols are being designed for patients with the most deadly tumors and knowledge is being gained to improve the overall response to treatment. Novel strategies to starve tumors by inhibiting the blood supply are being modeled in the laboratory using a non-toxic new drug developed at the University of Michigan called Tetrathiomolybdate. The first clinical treatment protocol using this drug for patients with recurrent advanced head and neck cancer was recently opened.

Research and Training / SPORE comprises 10 investigators that are dedicated to the study of head & neck oncology, voice, neurodiagnostic monitoring and cochlear implant performance. The oncology program includes:

• Research on therapy and outcome in head and neck cancer;
• Population based outcome research on smoking, depression and alcohol in cancer patients;
• Chemotherapy, drug resistance and angiogenesis; and
• Cancer genetics.

Head & Neck Radiology

Head and Neck radiology provides the highest-quality patient care and improves the well-being of patients through excellence in education, community service, research and technology, and leadership activities locally, nationally and internationally. The division has access to state-of-the-art equipment in all modalities. There are 9 MRI units (7 clinical, 2 research) of which three are 3T units. A total of 12 CT scanners are housed in our health care system. This includes six 64-slice MDCT scanners and six other MDCT machines. Head and Neck radiology's primary research has been focused on investigating emerging metabolic and physiologic imaging techniques to evaluate head and neck cancer and to differentiate recurrent tumors from post-therapeutic changes in previously treated patients. These technologies include CT Perfusion, MR Perfusion, MR Diffusion, and MR Spectroscopy. Other include biologic imaging techniques include fluorodeoxyglucose analogues imaged with prototype Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography, Gamma Cameras, and CT-PET.

For more information, please visit the Neuroradiology section of Radiology's web site.

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