Article Highlights

• Robotic-assisted approaches are expanding surgical access to previously inoperable oropharyngeal tumors while potentially reducing reliance on radiation and its long-term toxicities.
• Complex head and neck resections increasingly integrate reconstructive techniques using autologous tissue transfer to restore both function and quality of life.
• Multidisciplinary, team-based care — including tumor boards and cross-specialty collaboration — is central to optimizing outcomes in head and neck oncology.
• Advancements in surgical technology and simulation training are reshaping both patient care and the education of residents and fellows.
• Functional preservation (speech, swallowing, breathing, sensory experience) remains a core priority driving innovation in head and neck surgical practice.

In the latest episode of Houston Methodist's Women in Surgery series, head and neck surgeon Dr. Laura Kim joins Houston Methodist Chief Physician Executive Dr. Shlomit Schaal to discuss complex cancer resections and how robotics and team-based approaches are advancing care in head and neck surgery.

Dr. Kim explains what attracted her to the niche surgical specialty before discussing some of the new and evolving tools shaping the field.

"ENT is so special in that it helps people interact with the world — the way you smell, taste, eat, breathe and hear," Dr. Kim says. "To help patients feel more confident and connected with their senses is such a privilege."

Robotic-assisted surgery has transformed treatment for oropharyngeal cancers once considered inoperable, Dr. Kim says.

"Traditionally, those tumors were treated mostly with radiation and chemotherapy because it was too difficult to reach those areas," she says. "Now, specialized tools allow us to access them without a large incision, often sparing patients radiation and its long-term side effects."

Reconstruction is equally critical to restoring function and quality of life. Dr. Kim described harvesting tissue or bone from other parts of the body to repair surgical defects. "It's basically replacing all the missing parts," she explains. "It's like transplant surgery, but using your own body parts."

Dr. Schaal notes the unique role women are playing in traditionally male-dominated surgical fields. Although Dr. Kim acknowledges that some challenges still exist, she emphasizes that motivation plays an important role in moving forward.

“Head and neck surgery — like all of medicine — is very much a team sport.”

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Dr. Laura Kim
Head and Neck Surgeon at Houston Methodist

"If you enjoy it and have a passion for it, people will see that and things will work out," she says.

The collaborative environment of Houston Methodist, with its multidisciplinary tumor boards and advanced simulation training for residents and trainees, is singled out as a particular hallmark of the program's success. This also includes physician assistants, nurses, fellows and oncology colleagues who each contribute to each patient's care.