Our Treatment Approach

Undivided Team Focus

Head and neck tumors are located in a very prominent and functional space of the human body. We recognize this and when we treat you at UCLA, you receive the undivided focus of a clinical and scientific team with an extraordinary level of expertise and experience.  We treat you like our family.

Our experts include head and neck surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, neuro-radiologists, and plastic surgeons. Experts in speech pathology, dentistry, nutrition, social work, and psychology will also follow your care.  Our team will customize your care, treating you with the most-advanced therapies with the least impact on your body. Working together, they prepare a personalized care plan for you that may include surgery, targeted therapies, clinical trials, and minimally invasive surgical techniques.  Your cancer journey will continue with us after treatment, when we focus on your cancer survivorship, well-being, quality of life, and cancer surveillance.

Our program includes a dedicated Cancer Patient Coordinator who is available to guide and support you through the healthcare system. Serving as your liaison to the healthcare team, our Patient Coordinator collects your medical records, coordinates your appointments and answers your questions so you can concentrate on your treatment and recovery.

Specialized teams dedicated to diseases or groups of patients include:

1. Skull Base Tumor Program: offers patients with benign or malignant tumors of the skull base the most-advanced diagnostic and treatment options
2. Oral Premalignancy Clinic: provides diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of precancerous lesions of the oral cavity
3. Head and Neck Survivor Clinic: helps patients deal with the physical and psychological changes of cancer and treatment
4. Robotics and minimally invasive laser surgery: provides surgical excision of oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, and laryngeal cancer with best preservation of function.
5. Swallow Disorders Center: premier center dedicated to maintaining and improving speech and swallow function during and after cancer therapy.

Team Approach to Care

Head and neck cancers and their treatment often affect swallowing, speech, hearing and quality of life. We are one of the nation’s leaders in helping patients meet these challenges. Our services include a state-of-the-art swallowing function laboratory, as well as specialized experts to help you regain the ability to speak after treatment for cancer of the voice box and throat.

Specialists in dental oncology and dental prosthetics (known as prosthodontics) provide complete oral and dental examination for patients who need dental care before treatment. They also design and place highly specialized implants, helping to ensure the highest quality of life after surgery.

And at UCLA you are surrounded by the strength of one of the nation’s foremost comprehensive cancer centers, which has all the services needed to treat the whole person – not just the disease. 

If you have been diagnosed with head and neck cancer or a benign tumor, we’re here to help.

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• Phone: (310) 267-7076