Overview
At Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, people diagnosed with head and neck cancers are seen by a mutlidisciplinary medical team in one clinic visit.
Surgeons from the Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery Center at University of Washington Medical Center come to SCCA to meet in conference with radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, neuroradiologists, and pathologists to develop the most comprehensive and effective treatment strategy for each patient. Having a multidisciplinary clinic consolidates care for the patient providing convenience and efficiency.
New cancer treatments are being developed every day. The da Vinci Robot, well known for its leading-edge treatment in prostate and gynecologic cancers, is now being used only at UW Medical Center (an SCCA parent organization) for transoral minimally invasive surgeries for difficult-to-access tumors, like those found at the base of the tongue. (Watch a story on KING-TV about a woman from Alaska who was the first to receive this exciting new procedure.)
As a patient, you may also be able to participate in one of the clinical studies conducted at SCCA and its parent organizations, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and UW Medicine. Our goal is to achieve cure and, at the same time, minimize acute and chronic side effects of therapy. Seattle Cancer Care Alliance was formed in part to bring promising new treatments to patients faster. This means that people who have head and neck cancer will find more treatment options at SCCA than might be found elsewhere.