Parkway Cancer Centre event on Head & Neck tumours 15 Sep 12

Amandela ENT is participating with Parkway Cancer Centre to jointly host an event on head and neck tumours in Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital on 15 Sep 2012. Tune in to FM93.8 on Monday 27 Aug to look out for announcements on details!

Registration starts at 1pm

1.30 pm Dr Pat Kho (Medical Oncologist)

Title: Nasopharyngeal cancer – A multidisciplinary approach.

Synopsis:

Nasopharyngeal cancer, commonly termed as “nose cancer” is the 7th most common cancer among Singaporean males. Unfortunately, it tends to affect the younger age groups. This talk aims to give an overview on the possible causes and risk factors, when one should seek medical attention and the treatments available. A multidisciplinary team, consisting of a surgeon, medical oncologist and radiation oncologist is essential in the treatment decision making so as to achieve the best clinical outcome for the patient.  The role of chemotherapy in certain situations will also be discussed.

Synopsis: Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is a very common cancer among Chinese but can have very few symptoms. It can affect young people and many symptoms are often thought to be due to “heatiness” and therefore ignored until it is a little too late. This talk aims to educate the public about some of these symptoms like neck swelling, blocked ear, ringing sound in the ears, blood stained nasal mucus and phlegm. As this cancer can masquerade other problems, less common symptoms like headaches and double vision will also be discussed. The process of screening for NPC including blood tests, endoscopy and scans will be clearly explained to help patients mentally prepare for a visit to the ENT surgeon.

Title: Radiotherapy for Nasopharyngeal Cancer

Synopsis:

The tendency of nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) to infiltrate into and around critical structures of the head and neck make surgery difficult or impossible.  Because NPC is sensitive to radiation, radiotherapy is the ideal treatment for tumours that have not spread beyond the head and neck. Roughly 80% of patients of patients can be cured with radiation. The proximity of many critical organs like eyes, ears, salivary glands and nerves to the tumour presents a challenge to treatment. Technological advances like Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT)and image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) have improved our ability to target the cancer whilst minimising damage to the surrounding organs resulting in fewer side effects.

The addition of concurrent chemotherapy to radiotherapy has also improved the chance of cure.

3.30 pm Dr Mark Khoo (Head and Neck Surgeon)

Title: Thyroid Cancer: Clinical presentation, Management and Treatment

Synopsis: The incidence of thyroid cancer is increasing. However, because the vast majority of thyroid cancers are slow growing, and remain devoid of symptoms for long periods of time, they are frequently ignored until they become more advanced. This is a shame as thyroid cancer, if recognised early and treated appropriately, is one of the most cureable of all cancers. Furthermore, early treatment of thyroid cancer entails virtually no lasting morbidity for the patient. This talk will outline the current management and treatment for thyroid cancer.

4.00 pm Q&A

4.10 pm Patient Consult