“The Truth about Head and Neck Cancer” with Dr. Tom Thomas on WMTR 1250AM Radio

1 Views

07/06/23

Tune in to weekly radio show ANSwersLive Sunday mornings at 9:30am on WMTR 1250 AM. On Sunday, March 19, show host Tom Wood discussed the truth about head and neck cancer with guest Dr. Tom Thomas, the new Medical Director of Head and Neck Reconstructive Surgery and TransOral Robotic Surgery for the Leonard B. Kahn Head & Neck Cancer Institute at Morristown Medical Center at Atlantic Health System.

Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the U.S., with more than 60,000 new cases and over 13,000 deaths each year. Though tobacco and alcohol use can raise the risk of developing the disease, exposure to the human papillomavirus (HPV) poses an even greater risk. People who have had an oral HPV infection have a 50 times greater risk of developing head and neck cancer versus the general population. Currently, nearly three quarters of head and neck tumors test positive for HPV. A growing number of these newly diagnosed cases are among men in their forties and fifties.

A multidisciplinary team of specialists at the Leonard B. Kahn Head & Neck Cancer Institute evaluate and treat the entire spectrum of head and neck cancers, from early stage to the most complex advanced cancers of the throat, voice box, salivary glands, thyroid gland, mouth, lips, nose, and sinuses.

Dr. Thomas has expertise in treating all head and neck cancers including but not limited to squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, melanoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, various salivary gland carcinomas, thyroid and parathyroid cancers, laryngeal cancers, sinus and skull base cancers.

Dr. Thomas comes to Atlantic Health System from Dana Farber Cancer Institute, a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, in Boston where he was the associate director of transoral robotic surgery (TORS). His focus is on minimally invasive surgical techniques such as TORS and Transoral Laser Microsurgery (TLM).

ANSwersLive is brought to you by Atlantic Neurosurgical Specialists. For more information on Dr. Thomas, visit atlantichealth.org/headneckcancer.