M&M: Dr. Robert Haddad

Doctor Robert Hud -- glad that right doctor yes you just is joining this year and the reason we are getting money and the reason we are asking you for your donations can we ought to put this good doctor to work. I as a medical oncologists head and neck cancers. What are the most. Right now the announcing a popular is not the word by I think head and neck cancer and sort confuse what are we talking about here. Doctors are good Monica had a Good Morning America had a neck cancers are cancers that affect the lining of the mouth please -- cancers of the -- the voice box. Sinuses. Thyroid cancers and also lumped within had a neck cancers. And also frequently have overlooked -- of the celebrity dance that dance so these are typically cancers that affect to have men and women awful ages. That probably around fifty to 60000 new cases of -- -- neck cancer every year. How do you wanna take thyroid cancer put example over the past decade just need the increase in the number -- finally cancers we don't understand exactly why that's happening. What he also seen recently is a key rise and the number of cancers of the head and neck that I linked to a virus. The UN but you know my finest. Which is the same virus that causes cervical cancer in women. So I largely -- number of patients we see now with had a neck cancers. Are non smokers and non drinkers are young patients who had developed cancer. Because an infected with a virus the HPV virus what kind of progress is being made to -- the last five to ten years so I have some some good news -- some bad news here -- -- did -- is that we are. The cure rates -- head and neck cancers are rising we have we ought to increase of BCA -- rise in the number of patients. Who are cured from this cancer. And that's and and that's a that's a good news. What's really -- to what to do a better job way it is improving the side effects of the treatment to a giving. These patients are treated with high doses of radiation therapy high doses of chemotherapy and also the often we have few surgery on these stations. So the side effects of fusing all of these modalities are tremendous. We see swallowing problems we see speech problems and sometimes we see. I have -- changes in breathing and many of these -- is also have to change in that appearance if we have to do a big operations. So ascended did is that outpatient -- doing better -- the bad news of the side effects of treatments are horrendous and we need to do a better job and improving. The side effects on the quality of life for those stations you is interesting point because you know all of us who have had family members my mom Leon who had cancer and we know about side effects as family members. Wind when you speak of our researcher. Do. Doctors to research into side effects or is that part of the general research or is there a separate group. Doing research on the side effects of chemo and radiation. That that this is actually very good question -- for had a neck cancers in the starting side effects has been a separate pathway that we and others have -- And I need a couple of examples for example when we give titles radiation that -- one of the major problem we see. There's something we called -- like this -- -- source. This means that patients develop those muscle us and I'm not unable to swallow -- unable to eat that unable to speak. -- the research projects we have ongoing right now specifically targets -- scientists specifically looks at new or drugs. That we can give to patients to decrease the amount. Of my also as they would develop Judy treatments by doing that we aren't able to deliver that aggressive affected by doing that -- I would able to allow the patience to finish the treatment. That's one venue which is really and you can -- this another venue and a good example of previous specifically studying side effects is. Dry mouth getting radiation to had a neck cancer patients result in significant dry mouth. And some minor -- humans is very important if we don't pass a -- but we can't swallow we can -- So some of the new irradiation technology techniques we have have been developed so specifically to victories -- of dry mosque that our patients would have. Another example is an end and what that the surge or do we do in patients in the past 1520 years ago. When the operated on patients we had to do these big massive operations. We got a stage right now where we develop new or surgical techniques like robotic surgery. Which is now available -- Dana -- Robotic surgery is an innovative new way of -- surgery. That allows the surgeon to stand the normal tissue and only go after the cancer cells themselves allowing the face and -- much faster recovery. And much lower rate of side effects have to surge of. You mentioned HPV and I've had the research sex scene on that says that. He leads to cancer you talked about now but also that excessive drinking except -- smoking can start that process so yes there's actually some factors there were your health and your diet what you're doing. With alcohol with smoking. Is now leading to some these things absolutely and the one we talk about HTV we should not ignore or forget that 3-D -- major cause of how the neck cancer continues to be. Excessive smoking and excessive drinking and those. One we talk about they treaty also I remind patients of this is not really the only risk factor for had a less cancer and smoking and excessive drinking continue to be. And major cause of why people -- developed by the neck cancer so -- -- what we talked to patients are bought and to that part president's process. Is treated the importance of abstaining from smoking. Abstaining from excessive alcohol use. Not for the HPV also this is an opportunity to stop the patients about prevention because that is a vaccine for HPV. And obviously for the particular patient the vaccine might not be irrelevant. But it's relevant for their children so this is an opportunity to talk to patients and to their partners about the importance. Well vaccination against HPV well we wanna raise money today for a lot of reasons but specifically we talked to you. Let's get the side effects of the treatment let's get those better for people doctor thank you so much for joining bankunited deducted.