Diseases Treated

Head and Neck Cancer

The Head and Neck Radiation Oncology Program offers comprehensive care to patients with all types of head and neck cancers. The program also functions as a central, integrated component of the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Oncology Program. Treatment plans and delivery are coordinated with other members of the team, including head and neck surgeons, medical oncologists, dentists, speech and swallowing therapists, nutritionists and nurses. Within the radiation department are physicians, nurses, physicists and therapists with specialized expertise in treating and managing patients with head and neck malignancies.

The members of the head and neck radiation group employ state-of-the-art treatment approaches and are actively engaged in developing the next generation of combined chemotherapy and radiation treatment, including:

• Extensive use of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), which is an essential technique for modern head and neck radiation therapy. We have experience in delivering this type of treatment, and we continue to analyze its use and study methods to optimize treatment results.
• Treatment employing chemotherapy combined with radiation, an approach we have helped to develop and with which we have much clinical experience. Patients have available to them all standard drug and targeted therapies, including new and investigational agents.