Experts in Head and Neck Cancer Care
Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine’s Head and Neck Tumor Center at cares for patients facing every type of head and neck cancer — including the most complex, advanced and rare. If you have recently received a diagnosis, are concerned about symptoms, or want a second opinion, you need a team built specifically for the complexity of these cancers.
As one of the nation’s first fully integrated multidisciplinary head and neck tumor centers, Siteman brings together nationally recognized experts in surgical oncology, radiation oncology, medical oncology, reconstruction, speech and swallowing, genomics and supportive care to deliver highly coordinated treatment personalized to you.
WashU Medicine physicians and researchers are advancing surgical techniques, expanding access to clinical trials, and protecting the abilities—breathing, speech, swallowing, and appearance—that matter most to your daily life.
Whether you are self-referring, seeking a second opinion, or a referring physician, our care coordinators will guide you through your first call and every step of your journey.
Why Choose Siteman
Head and neck cancers are among the most complex cancers to diagnose and treat. They can affect how you speak, swallow, breathe, and connect with the world around you. When facing these cancers, experience matters — and so does having the right specialists working together from the beginning.
At Siteman Cancer Center, our experts care for more head and neck cancer patients than any other team in the region, with more than 8,000 patient visits each year. That depth of experience helps us recognize rare and advanced diseases, personalize treatment plans, reduce complications, and help patients recover with the best possible function and quality of life.
As one of the nation’s first fully integrated multidisciplinary head and neck tumor centers, Siteman brings together specialists across surgical oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, reconstructive surgery, neuroradiology, pathology, speech and swallowing therapy, dentistry, nutrition and supportive care. Our team works together in a highly coordinated way to move quickly, align treatment decisions and personalize care for you, your goals and your life.
Patients come to Siteman Cancer Center for second opinions, complex diagnoses, advanced surgical expertise, access to innovative clinical trials and highly specialized treatment options that may not be available elsewhere. As the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the region, Siteman combines nationally recognized cancer expertise with leading-edge research designed to bring new therapies to patients faster.
Our multidisciplinary care team is a collaboration among many specialists, including:
- Otolaryngologists
- Radiation oncologists
- Medical oncologists
- Radiologists
- Pathologists
- Oral surgeons
- Speech therapists
- Audiologists
- Psychologists
- Nutritionists
Access to this level of care ensures that we cover every aspect of head and neck cancer from diagnosis through treatment and beyond.
Our Siteman care coordinators – oncology-trained nurses who help with scheduling, finding the right specialist, and guidance – can help you through the process.
Call us directly or submit a form, and we will call you back.
Specialized across subtypes in head & neck cancers
Siteman leads comprehensive diagnosis and treatment for the full spectrum of head and neck cancers – from the most common to the most complex.
- Oral (mouth) cancer – the most common subtype of head and neck cancer, impacting around 41% of all head and neck cancer cases worldwide
- Oropharyngeal cancer (throat cancer in the pharynx or larynx) – the most common type of head and neck cancer found in HPV+ patients
- Laryngeal cancer, or cancer of the voice box
- Tongue cancer
- Thyroid cancer
- Nasal cavity and sinus cancer
- Nasopharyngeal cancer
- Hypopharyngeal cancer
- Salivary gland cancer
- Parathyroid tumors
Skin cancers of the head and neck, or squamous cell carcinoma
National Excellence, Regional Leadership
Siteman is recognized nationwide as a leader in head and neck cancer care. We are the only NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the region, and the Head and Neck Tumor Center is where patients with the most complex cases come for definitive care.
WashU Medicine physicians at Siteman are national leaders in research and treatment. They lead clinical trials and have pioneered robotic and transoral laser surgical techniques that other cancer centers follow today. Treatments that are becoming standard practice elsewhere often started here first.
HPV causes around 70% of throat (or oropharyngeal) cancers, and Siteman leads the nation in their research and treatment. The good news: HPV+ patients respond well to treatments, and with vaccines, many HPV related cancers are preventable.
Your care team will explore every option for treatment so you have the best possible outcome.
A Siteman care coordinator is the fastest path to referral, consult, or second opinion. Our care coordinators – oncology nurses who help with scheduling and navigation – will guide you from your first call.
Collaborative Care That Improves Your Daily Life
In 2023, WashU Medicine physicians and researchers opened a first-of-its-kind Head and Neck Tumor Center at Siteman Cancer Center to provide advanced care for patients with head and neck cancers. Here, physicians focus on patient-centered care while driving research to enhance outcomes and quality of life during and after treatment.
Experts in Head and Neck Cancers
“The Head & Neck Tumor Center [at Siteman] is completely unique – patients benefit from comprehensive medical care and breakthrough research to advance their treatment. We also offer transoral thyroid surgery, complex and advanced reconstruction, and de-escalation of treatment for our HPV+ throat cancer (oropharynx) patients.”
Our Head & Neck Tumor Board meets weekly to review pathology, imaging, and treatment goals. The board includes surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, and reconstructive surgeons.
Research shows that tumor boards significantly improve patient outcomes. In more than half of all reviewed cases, the collaborative discussion changes the treatment plan to better address the disease and protect quality of life. At Siteman, that means you get the best thinking of every specialist working together—before a single decision is made about your care.
Advanced Surgery and Reconstruction, All in One Place
Head and neck tumors grow in some of the most delicate places in the body, the head and the neck—close to structures that enable speech, swallowing, appearance, and breathing. Our surgeons are among the most experienced in the country for these precise, high-stakes operations that protect these abilities.
WashU Medicine surgeons at Siteman have developed new surgical approaches that reduce risk and protect function. These include scarless thyroidectomy, transoral laser microsurgery, and transoral robotic surgery—techniques available here and only at a handful of cancer centers in the country.
Your care plan includes reconstructive surgeons from the start. They often collaborate with your surgical team to complete facial reconstruction during the same operation as tumor removal. Merging these procedures reduces the number of surgeries you need. It also helps protect your appearance and abilities for recovery and quality of life.
Precision radiation therapy that protects healthy tissue
Siteman offers patients the most advanced radiation options available anywhere, including Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT), and proton beam therapy at our S. Lee Kling Proton Therapy Center— the world’s first compact imaging machine and the first in the St. Louis region to offer this option.
We consider these technologies to be minimally invasive radiation, similar to minimally invasive surgery. Our radiation oncologists are so precise they can protect critical structures—taste buds, salivary glands, vocal cords—while delivering a powerful, targeted dose to your tumor. Doing both means fewer complications and better quality of life during and after treatment.
Head and Neck Cancer Specialists Dedicate Themselves to Patient Care
Your team at Siteman dedicates itself to your wellbeing and comfort throughout treatment, tailoring it specifically to your lifestyle and needs. Physicians like Wade Thorstad, MD, Co-Director of the Head and Neck Tumor Center, aim to give you “minimally invasive surgery, highly focused radiation therapy, [and] targeted pharmaceutical treatments.”
Siteman’s research team is long dedicated to de-escalation of treatment for patients with head and neck cancers, including those with HPV+ related cancers. De-escalation means using the most conservative intervention needed for the most effective outcome. This might look like a reduction in chemotherapy, radiation dosage, or less-invasive surgical techniques.
Our care team is composed of people who are dedicated to your wellbeing and see patients even years after treatment. Their priority is to provide you with the least invasive treatment available while ensuring the best results.
Clinical Trials: Access to Tomorrow’s Treatments, Today
Head and neck cancer research is expanding rapidly and Siteman is leading the way. WashU Medicine physician-researchers at Siteman actively study HPV-related cancers. They explore new immunotherapy combinations and targeted drugs for specific tumor profiles.
Siteman Cancer Center has one of the best reputations in the research world, so we lead many clinical trials each year. WashU Medicine physicians and scientists who are experts in head and neck cancers will lead your treatment.
Clinical trials give patients the chance to try breakthrough treatments before they are widely available. Because many of our physicians lead these studies as principal investigators, Siteman patients have access to more options than patients who receive care at other institutions. When you come to Siteman, your care team will review your diagnosis and identify trials that may be right for you.
Clinical trials are research studies that help us find new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer. If you have a rare or complex diagnosis or your treatment path seems uncertain, you might qualify for a clinical trial.
Our team will help you find a study that is right for you. Call us to speak with a Siteman care coordinator.
History of Innovation at Siteman
Specialists at Siteman have long been at the forefront of treating head and neck cancers. In 1963, the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at WashU Medicine added a Picker Cobalt 60, the first in the country to offer high-energy linear accelerator (LINAC) units. This radiation machine gives physicians greater accuracy in eliminating cancer cells in sensitive areas such as the throat, mouth, and neck.
Since even before Siteman Cancer Center was formed, for more than 60 years, WashU Medicine have helped define how complex head and neck cancers are treated — advancing new surgical techniques, precision radiation approaches, molecular diagnostics and clinical trials before they become widely available elsewhere. Siteman now combines decades of clinical experience with leading-edge research and highly coordinated care designed to improve outcomes, preserve function and move patients to treatment quickly — redefining the standard of care across the country.
