Revolutionizing Head and Neck Surgery with TORS

Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) was invented and developed by the pioneering team of Bert W. O'Malley, Jr., MD and Gregory S. Weinstein, MD at Penn Medicine

TORS uses the state-of-the-art da Vinci® Surgical System, which allows surgeons better access to the areas of the throat for the removal of cancers and benign lesions via a minimally invasive robotic approach.

Surgeons benefit by having improved access to the tight confines of the throat and patients benefit in the short term with a faster and easier recovery and, in the long term, by outstanding cancer results and improved swallowing results compared to alternative treatments.

Benefits of TORS can include:

• Quicker return to normal activity
• Shorter hospitalization
• Reduced risk of long-term swallowing problems (most commonly seen with chemoradiation or traditional open surgery)
• Fewer complications compared to traditional open surgery
• Less scarring than traditional open surgery
• Less risk of infection
• Less risk of blood transfusion when compared to open surgery
• No routine use of tracheostomy during surgery

In this video, Drs. O'Malley and Weinstein explain the TORS procedure, and how Penn Medicine is revolutionizing care for patients with head and neck cancer.

TORS patient, Cynthia Miller along with other Penn patients discuss how the TORS procedure changed their lives.