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institutional priorities top of mind. The department treats patients with benign and malignant head and neck tumors. These include, but are not limited to: • cancers of the oral cavity • larynx • pharynx • nose and sinuses • salivary glands • ear and temporal bone • skull base • thyroid gland • skin including melanoma • sarcomas of the soft tissue and bone. Using an integrated multi-disciplinary approach, Head and Neck Surgery faculty partner with a diverse team of medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, neuroradiologists and plastic surgeons to provide state-of-theart-care for patients with all types and stages of head and neck cancer. By adopting innovative surgical techniques combined with a multi-disciplinary approach, Head and Neck Surgery faculty strive to ensure the best oncologic and functional outcomes are achieved. “The mission of Head and Neck Surgery is to optimize the oncologic and quality-of-life outcomes for patients afflicted with head and neck cancer through integrated multi-disciplinary oncologic and supportive care and By Mena El-Sharkawi Music was one of the biggest joys of Adel Tawifik’s life. That’s why when he was diagnosed with oral cancer he didn’t want a surgery that threatened to end his ability to sing. Ehab Hanna, M.D.; Clifton Fuller, M.D., Ph.D.; and now-retired medical oncologist Merrill Kies, M.D.; developed a treatment plan including chemotherapy and radiation therapy. He beat cancer, but one year later, he noticed an odd feeling in his gums that prompted him to visit MD Anderson oncology dentist Alexander Won, D.D.S. “Two days later, I got the call that my cancer was back,” Adel recalls. This time he had to undergo surgery. “Dr. Hanna told me before the surgery that there was a chance I might not be able to speak normally for a while,” he recalls. “I told myself, forget about singing.” During the 10-hour surgery, Hanna extracted Adel’s right cheek bone and sinus, including his upper right teeth and gums, to remove the cancer. Plastic surgeon Peirong Yu, M.D., then reconstructed Adel’s mouth using soft tissue and bone taken from his right leg. “When I woke up from surgery and could talk, I was so happy. It was proof that the surgery wasn’t as bad as I’d feared,” Adel says. Adel’s speech continued to improve, and within three months, he was able to hit difficult notes he feared he’d never sing again. “I couldn’t believe it,” he recalls. When Adel returned to MD Anderson, he wore his “Happiest Cancer Patient in the World” T-shirt and surprised Hanna by singing his favorite song. “To be able to sing again showed me how skilled Dr. Hanna and Dr. Yu are,” Adel says. A longer version of this story originally appeared on MD Anderson’s Cancerwise blog. Bringing back the voice research,” says Jeffrey N. Myers, M.D., Ph.D., chair of Head and Neck Surgery. Head and Neck Surgery is a recognized international leader in head and neck cancer care, and has consistently ranked among the nation’s top otolaryngology departments in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals rankings. Myers and his team of 36 surgeons provided consultation, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation services to 9,195 new patients in Fiscal Year 2018, and performed over 3,316 operations during that time span. Head and Neck Surgery’s research lab currently has 5,814 square feet of lab space. There are 31 lab personnel including six research faculty who each have a lab, with five of those faculty being surgeons. There are eight validated cell line studies and 10 ongoing active animal studies. Head and Neck Surgery comprises five subsections, which provide focused centers of excellence for the treatment of patients and development of research: • Head and Neck Surgical Oncology • Head and Neck Endocrine Surgery • Oral Oncology and Maxillofacial Prosthodontics • Ophthalmology • Speech Pathology and Audiology All of these services treat patients in the Head and Neck Center at MD Anderson’s campus in the Texas Medical Center. Head and Neck surgical oncologists are also available at MD Anderson locations in League City, West Houston, Memorial City and Sugar Land. Specialized labs and clinics within the Head and Neck Center include the Oral Cancer Prevention Clinic, the Voice Laboratory, and the Swallowing Outcomes Research Laboratory. In these areas, patients work to regain the ability to speak and swallow after treatment for cancer of the voice box and throat. 24 MD Anderson Cancer Center The Ophthalmology section treats orbital, ocular and ocular adnexal malignancies, as well as the ocular complications from cancer therapy. Patient care is provided in the Ophthalmology Clinic at the MD Anderson main campus. The department’s oral oncology and prosthetics (known as maxillofacial prosthodontics) area provides dental and oral rehabilitation to patients before and after treatment. It also designs and places specialized oral implants to ensure the highest quality of life after surgery. Putting an end to the epidemic of HPVrelated cancers Over the last two decades, head and neck cancers have increased by 125% in the United States, largely in part to the human papillomavirus (HPV). The rates of HPVrelated oropharyngeal cancers are rising at epidemic proportions, accounting for 70% of oropharyngeal cancers. Men comprise a disproportionately large number of that 70%. New cases of oropharyngeal cancers in men now
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