Surgical treatment of benign and malignant tumors between the head and neck has heretofore proven difficult. To address this need, the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Miami School of Medicine developed a comprehensive, multi-specialty team of otolaryngologists, vascular surgeons, neurosurgeons, plastic surgeons and radiologists to treat these tumors, many of which are often fatal.

The Head and Neck Surgery Division of the department is fully integrated with the clinical, research and education programs of the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center offering a multidisciplinary approach to patients’ diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.

• Clinical Care
• Skull Base Treatment Center
• Advantages of Skull Base Treatment 

Clinical Care

In the past two years more than 600 new patients were evaluated at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Hospital and Clinics, Jackson Memorial Hospital and the Miami Veterans Administration Medical Center for benign and malignant tumors.

All patients with new or recurrent malignant tumors are seen during weekly multidisciplinary head and neck tumor conferences held at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Miami Veterans Administration Medical Center. After a comprehensive review of the data, a final plan for further diagnostic tests, treatment options and rehabilitation strategies is developed by the attending physician in collaboration with the patient, a treatment plan is subsequently implemented. Additionally, a large number of clinical research protocols are available for eligible patients.

Skull Base Treatment Center

Technological advances have enhanced the prognosis of skull base disorders and have, in many cases, eliminated the need for long hospital stays. A tumor or lesion of the skull base is any growth that touches or penetrates the bony "floor" at the bottom of the skull, whether benign or malignant.

In the past, such tumors presented difficult treatment challenges. Recent medical breakthroughs however, provide physicians with improved treatment modalities to treat these lesions and associated cranial nerve disorders. Advances in the areas of diagnostic imaging, interventional radiology, surgical approaches and techniques as well as electrophysiological monitoring, have helped treatment of such skull base tumors and disorders.

Advantages of Skull Base Treatment

The University of Miami School of Medicine/Jackson Memorial Medical Center is well suited to handle the surgical and rehabilitative complexities of skull base treatment. Each year, faculty see hundreds of skull base cases in consultation and/or surgery.

The skull base interdisciplinary team is comprised of faculty physicians and other professionals with training and experience in skull base surgery and therapy and treatment of facial nerve disorders. It draws from several specialties including Neurological Surgery, Neurology, Head and Neck Surgery and Reconstruction, Laryngology, Speech and Swallowing Therapy, Neuroradiology, Radiation Oncology, Neurology and Vestibular Rehabilitation. The involvement of Pathology, Physical Therapy, Social Services and Nursing also is important.

The center also has a wide array of supportive facilities and equipment, including: state-of-the-art surgical suites; ICUs and imaging technologies; intra-operative electrophysiologic cranial nerve monitoring capability; interventional radiology facilities for angiography and occlusion of vessels and cranial nerve rehabilitation programs including speech and swallowing therapies.

For those patients with malignant tumors, the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center provides a full range of diagnostic and therapeutic oncology services. The Sylvester Center is one of only 28 cancer treatment centers in the United States designated for accreditation by the National Cancer Institute as a Comprehensive Cancer Center and is the only center so designated in Florida.

One of the few locations in the region offering this technology, the state-of-the-art Gamma Knife treatment is also available at the center for skull base tumor treatment. The Gamma Knife allows the neurosurgeon to operate on intracranial problems with radiation instead of a scalpel. Using highly sophisticated 3-dimensional computerized dose planning, the Gamma Knife delivers a single, highly concentrated dose of radiation to a small, critically located target within the brain by focusing gamma rays from 201 separate sources on the same precise point. Narrow, high-intensity radiation beams are used to destroy tumors without surgical incision or a long hospital stay.

The Skull Base Treatment Center can treat a variety of disorders including aneurysms, cranial nerve disorders, facial nerve disorders, sinus cancers and tumors of the ear canal or temporal bone, among others.

Referrals

To make a referral to the Skull Base Treatment Center at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine/Jackson Memorial Medical Center or to find out more about center programs and services, please call 1-800-432-0191 or 305-547-5757. As a regional referral center, we are strongly committed to providing consultative reports to referring physicians.

Appointments/Locations