Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2026
Identification and Protection of the Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve during Transoral Robotic Thyroidectomy
Published on: October 24, 2025
Transoral robotic resection and reconstruction for head and neck cancer
Eric M Genden1, Tamar Kotz, Charles C L Tong
1Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, New York, New York 10029, USA. eric.genden@mountsinai.org
Objectives/Hypothesis:
To evaluate the patterns of failure, survival, and functional outcomes for patients treated with transoral robotic surgery (TORS) and compare these results with those from a cohort of patients treated with concurrent chemoradiation (CRT).
Study Design:
Prospective non-randomized case control study.
Methods:
Between April 2007 and April 2009, 30 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma were treated with primary TORS and adjuvant therapy as indicated on an institutional review board-approved protocol. Patients were evaluated before treatment, after treatment, and at subsequent 3-month intervals after completing treatment to determine their disease and head and neck-specific functional status using the Performance Status Scale for Head and Neck Cancer and the Functional Oral Intake Score (FOIS). Functional scores were compared to a matched group of head and neck patients treated with primary CRT.
Results:
The TORS patient population included 73% stage III-IV and 23% nonsmokers. The median follow-up was 20.4 months (range, 12.8-39.6 months). The 18-month locoregional control, distant control, disease-free survival, and overall survival were 91%, 93%, 78%, and 90%, respectively. Compared to the primary CRT group, TORS was associated with better short-term eating ability (72 vs. 43, P = .008), diet (43 vs. 25, P = .01), and FOIS (5.5 vs. 3.3, P < .001) at 2 weeks after completion of treatment. In contrast to TORS patients who returned to baseline, the CRT group continued to have decreased diet (P = .03) and FOIS (P = .02) at 12 months.
Conclusions:
Our early experience in treating selected head and neck cancers with TORS is associated with excellent oncologic and functional outcomes that compare favorably to primary CRT.
