Transoral Laser and Robotic Surgery

경구강 레이저 및 로봇 수술

Traditionally, the main strategy of treatment of the head and neck cancer was en bloc resection including adjacent normal tissues through wide incision. However, the procedures may leave severe functional deficit such as swallowing difficulty, aspiration, and wide neck scar. Therefore, many attempts have been made up to minimize these morbidities. Of them, the minimal invasive approach such as transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) and transoral robot surgery (TORS) have been spolighted as a sensible strategy for organ preservation of the head and neck cancer patients. Results of TLM are equivalent to those obtained by conventional surgery, with considerably less morbidity, less hospital time and better postoperative function. Oncologic results of TLM are equivalent to conventional surgery. TORS are safe, feasible, and promising but oncologic safety is not yet verified. This article covers to current application of TLM and TORS, their advantages and limitations, and future direction.