At City of Hope, we understand that head and neck cancer and its treatment can impact a patient’s quality of life, sometimes in debilitating ways.
Because of head and neck tumors’ location, the cancer and treatment-related side effects my impair patients’ ability to eat, swallow, talk and breathe. Our multidisciplinary care team of head and neck cancer experts will work with you to develop a personalized treatment plan based on your individual needs, preferences and goals. We also offer evidence-informed supportive care strategies to help manage disease- and treatment-related side effects. Our mission is to put patients at the center of their care, so they can make informed decisions about the road ahead. We treat each patient not just as a whole person, but as we’d want our own family to be treated.
Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) is now City of Hope®, joining forces to expand patient access to personalized, comprehensive cancer care.
Many head and neck cancer treatments are invasive. Surgery is often the first-line treatment, and it may change your facial function or appearance. Your doctor may recommend plastic surgery to repair or restore the function of muscles and tissue damaged by cancer or its treatment. Some patients may choose plastic surgery to restore a more normal appearance. Others may need plastic surgery because treatment affected how they breathe, talk or eat. The Flex® Robotic System, a minimally invasive technology that allows surgeons to access hard-to-reach areas of the mouth and throat, may also be an option. The Flex Robotic System was designed to reduce scarring and cause less damage to tissues and muscles that are critical to eating and other daily activities.
Learn more about our expert approach to cancer treatment
Your head and neck cancer care team works all under one roof. That means you have access to state-of-the-art cancer treatments and supportive care therapies all in one location. Your team will be coordinated by a care manager dedicated to orchestrating your schedule, communicating with the rest of your care team, getting your questions answered and helping you access your test results in a timely manner. Your care team may also include a medical, surgical and/or radiation oncologist, an interventional radiologist, oncology nurses and a variety of supportive care providers.
Learn more about how we treat cancer
Our doctors work with supportive care providers to deliver evidence-informed therapies designed to address the symptoms of your disease and the side effects of treatment. That’s what supportive care is all about: keeping you strong so you can better tolerate your treatments and maintain a good quality of life. Our supportive care services include nutritional support to help develop a diet plan to help stay nourished, while pain management physicians offer medication and non-prescription approaches to help you keep your pain in check. And our spiritual support and behavioral health providers help support your mental and emotional health before, during and after your treatment.
Learn more about supportive care at City of Hope
“Many of my close family members have fought cancer, and I understand the difficulty experienced by cancer patients and their families.”
Clinical trials are critical tools researchers and doctors use to determine the safety and effectiveness of new drugs and therapies. At City of Hope, we’re committed to offering our patients innovative and new cancer treatments, including access to clinical trials when appropriate. These trials may provide therapies that are not yet widely available to qualified patients who have exhausted conventional treatment options or whose cancer is advanced or difficult to treat. Our cancer doctors and researchers will work with you to determine whether you qualify for a trial and, if so, help you enroll.
Learn more about clinical trials at City of Hope
City of Hope was there for me whether I was at the hospital or home. I had access to supportive care clinicians, and I worked with a clinical oncology dietitian, who helped reduce the side effects of the treatments."
