Cancers that develop on or around the vocal cords are most often due to smoking, and can be treated with endoscopic laser surgery through the mouth, or larger open surgery through the neck if necessary.

A mass in the neck can appear for a variety of reasons, sometimes as a result of infection or other benign etiologies, but it also could be a sign of a cancer. These require a full evaluation to understand the cause.

Thyroid glands can become enlarged resulting in goiters that can cause difficulty breathing, swallowing, and unsightly neck masses. Although nodules in thyroids glands are extremely common, they sometimes need further workup to rule out a thyroid cancer.

Parathyroid adenomas are enlarged parathyroid glands that cause an increase in parathyroid hormone and calcium and can lead to kidney stones, osteoporosis, and general fatigue and malaise. Often these need to be removed surgically to improve symptoms and reduce the risk of other problems.

The parotid and submandibular glands can contain tumors which can be benign such pleomorphic adenomas or Warthin’s tumors, or malignant like mucoepidermoid carcinoma or acinic cell carcinoma. Most of these require removal of the gland.

Sometimes after a tumor has been removed, it leaves behind a defect that must be reconstructed, requiring skin, muscle, bone, or some combination of the three. This may involve moving tissue from your own forearm, thigh, shoulder blade, or lower leg to reconstruct. The tissue is moved up to the defect and connected to your own blood vessels in the neck so that it is alive and functional.