ANZ journal of surgery
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ANZ journal of surgery · Dec 2017
ReviewTransoral robotic surgery base of tongue mucosectomy for head and neck cancer of unknown primary.
Head and neck cancer of unknown primary (HNCUP) is a source of diagnostic uncertainty. Patients presenting with cytologically positive neck lumps without a clinically identifiable primary, require extensive investigation including imaging, tonsillectomy, panendoscopy and tissue biopsy. Treatment typically involves neck dissection, wide field radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) has emerged as an expanding surgical technique for resecting tumours of the oropharynx. Its role in base of tongue (BOT) mucosectomy for HNCUP can alleviate diagnostic uncertainty and provide an adjunct treatment modality with few complications. ⋯ TORS BOT mucosectomy is an expanding surgical technique with a key role in head and neck surgery. It can be utilized to good effect where head and neck cancer is diagnosed without an identifiable primary. Incorporating robotic surgery in the diagnostic and treatment pathway offers low complication rates, reduced morbidity and improved tumour identification.