Head and Neck Cancers

HEAD AND NECK CANCERS

Professor Eng Ooi is the current Chair and a key member of the Flinders Multi-Disciplinary Head and Neck cancer team. He has many years of experience in head and neck surgery for benign and malignant (cancer) disease from his training in Adelaide and in Toronto. He is current President of the Australian and New Zealand Head and Neck Cancer Society whose aim is to promote quality care for all head and neck cancer patients.

He has conducted grant funded research into developing a blood and breath test to detect head and neck cancers, novel treatments for swallowing difficulties in patients after treatment of their head and neck cancer, and drug repurposing studies using Metformin to radiosensitive head and neck cancer cell lines for increased cell death.

Tonsil cancer associated with the human papillomavirus is the fastest growing head and neck cancer in  Australia. Professor Ooi received a Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams Memorial research grant to conduct research into developing a blood-based biomarker for HPV HNSCC (tonsil cancer). The results  using a blood based extracellular vesicle microRNAs  have been published. This is very exciting as there is currently no such blood test available. Please ask for a referral to see Professor Ooi if you are concerned that you may have tonsil or throat cancer.

Professor Ooi is now offering privately insured patients with (throat (tonsil and tongue base) cancer the option of trans-oral robotic surgery (TORS) using the Da Vinci Robot at Flinders Private Hospital. This allows removal of throat cancers with improved visualisation and precise surgical margins.

He specialises in head and neck “lumps”, cancers, salivary gland (parotid and submandibular) diseases especially stone obstruction, skull base and removal of benign and cancerous growths in the neck.

He has received training in performing a thyroidectomy for thyroid cancers from his training in Toronto. Professor Ooi is a specialist ENT surgeon who can operate on your thyroid cancer, including thyroid cancers which have spread to your neck lymph glands.

ENT surgeons have experience in the management of your voice as well. Professor Ooi performs micro-laryngoscopy’s for patients with a hoarse voice, vocal cord palsy, vocal polyps and cancers.

Surgery on your parotid gland (parotidectomy) or larynx (voice box) usually involves a general anaesthetic and a stay in hospital that could be one night or several nights in hospital, depending on the type of surgery performed.

Our other ENT surgeon, Dr Himani Joshi also specialises in Head and Neck cancers and along with Professor Ooi, they work extensively with other members of the Flinders multi-disciplinary Head and Neck cancer team to offer a treatment plan for all head and neck cancers so that patients can make an informed choice as to which treatment is most suitable for them. The best outcomes for the patient are when their care is managed in a multi-disciplinary setting with discussion of the best treatment options in an MDT meeting and Head and Neck cancer clinic.

Patients with head and neck cancer have many questions about their diagnosis, treatment and life after cancer. Please discuss your concerns with the doctors from Adelaide ENT Surgery.  There is also a patient support website, HANCA, in Australia supporting patients and their families through their cancer journey, from diagnosis to treatment and life after cancer.

What is required for the management of head and neck cancers?

• Diagnostic endoscopy
• Biopsy
• Imaging
  • CT scan
  • MRI scan
  • PET scan
• Discussion in a multi-disciplinary meeting and the Flinders Head and Neck Clinic
• Surgery
• Radiotherapy
• Chemotherapy
• Dental care
• Speech therapy
• Dietician
• Social worker support