FDA has cleared a minimally invasive method for treating benign and certain malignant tumors in the neck and throat. The approach--cleared for TransOral otolaryngologic procedures--was developed at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and uses the da Vinci Surgical System, manufactured by Intuitive Surgical Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA). According to Bert O'Malley, Jr., MD, of Penn Medicine's department of otorhinolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat), using TransOral Robotic Surgery (TORS) has dramatically improved how the center has treated head and neck cancer patients. The method allows surgeons to completely remove tumors, while preserving speech and swallowing. O'Malley, along with Gregory Weinstein, MD, established the world's first TORS program at Penn Medicine in 2004. From there, they began researching and developing the TORS method with robotic surgery to remove tumors in the mouth, voice box, tonsil, tongue, and other areas of the throat. The TORS method uses the mouth to access the surgical site, which improves long term swallowing and recovery time, and reduces the risk of infection. Conventional surgery sometimes requires an ear-to-ear incision across the throat and can impair a patient's swallowing and speech. In a clinical trial involving TORS, patients (after the cancer has been removed) have been swallowing on their own sooner and have left the hospital earlier compared to traditional surgery. For more information about the TORS program, check out the Web site.