Head & neck cancer symptoms & treatment

When you’re facing a head and neck cancer diagnosis, you want to know that you’ve got the right team on your side. When you choose Aurora Health Care, you can trust that you’ll be getting advanced, compassionate care.

Types of head & neck cancers

Why choose Aurora Health Care?

Because they can affect the way we breathe, speak, swallow, and look, cancers of the head and neck require exceptionally sensitive treatment. Our multidisciplinary team addresses the many aspects of head and neck cancer in a coordinated way. We care for the whole patient – not just your cancer.

Meet our team

Head & neck surgery

Name Location
Steven Sperry, MD Aurora Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, Milwaukee
Kathryn Rabe, PA-C Aurora Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, Milwaukee
Michelle A. Krueger, NP Aurora Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, Milwaukee

Medical oncology

Name Location
Laura McGartland, MD Aurora Cancer Care, Milwaukee
Timothy Goggins, MD Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic, Germantown

Radiation oncology

Name Location
Jeffrey Kittel, MD Radiation Oncology Associates, Ltd, Milwaukee
Perry Gould, MD Radiation Oncology Associates, Ltd, Milwaukee
Daniel Lindsay, MD Radiation Oncology Associates, Ltd, Milwaukee
Carol Zembinski, PA

Speech therapy

Name Location
Tanya Zinski-Loomer, SLP Aurora Physical Therapy/Speech Therapy, Milwaukee
Carol Lynn Wandler, SLP Aurora Physical Therapy/Speech Therapy, Milwaukee

Cancer Nurse Navigator

Valerie Werner, RN, BSN, OCN

Dietician

Sara Shaffer, RD

Symptoms of head & neck cancers

Keep an eye out for these symptoms, and see a doctor if they develop:

  • A sore in your mouth that keeps bleeding
  • A lump in your neck
  • Frequent nose bleeds
  • Constant congestion, but no medicine helps
  • Painful chewing or swallowing
  • Raspy voice
  • Loose teeth/dentures that no longer fit
  • Constant pain in your neck, ears or throat

Treatment options for head & neck cancers

Because each tumor is different, we offer a variety of treatment options, including:

  • Chemotherapy
  • Conformal radiotherapy/Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
  • Stereotactic radiology/CyberKnife®
  • Microvascular reconstruction
  • Minimally-invasive laser surgery
  • Targeted EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor)
  • Trans-oral robotic surgery

Cancer resources and references

Taking an active role in your health care and treatment can have a positive effect on your recovery. But there's so much cancer information available that it can be hard to navigate through it all. That's where the Vince Lombardi Cancer hotline can help. Talk to a cancer information specialist by calling the hotline at 800-252-2990 or 414-649-7200.

Meet another member of your cancer care team: your cancer nurse navigator. Navigators are certified nursing professionals who can guide you and your family through the process of cancer treatment.

Get the latest updates on cancer care when you read the Aurora Connection newsletter.

Current clinical trials

Radiation Therapy with or without Cisplatin in treating patients with Stage III-IVA Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck who have undergone surgery. 
Read more about Radiation Therapy

De-Intensified Radiation Therapy with Chemotherapy (Cisplatin) or Immunotherapy (Nivolumab) for Non-Smoking, Early-Stage, P16-Positive, Oropharyngeal Cancer
Read more about De-Intensified Radiation Therapy 

Locally advanced/intermediate-risk HPV +, Oropharyngeal cancer, Maintenance Nivolumab versus Observation after completing standard treatment
Read more about this clinical trial

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