Laser Surgery for Head and Neck Cancer.

Lasers have broad applications in otolaryngology. The myriad possible uses result from the combination of many different anatomic subsites, different types of pathology (both benign and malignant), and several different types of available lasers. A comparison of the KTP laser for hemorrhagic hereditary telangectasias of the nasal cavity, for instance, with photodynamic therapy for esophageal lesions reveals the wide range of applications for laser technology in the head and neck region. It is difficult, however, to make generalizations about laser use when one considers such disparate functions, sites, and pathology. This chapter, then, is limited to a discussion of lasers in the management of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, and larynx. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]