Head and Neck Cancer Care

If you have head and neck cancer, your best next step is working with a deeply experienced team.  

At UCI Health, your specialists stay current on the latest advances in surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. 

Our approach to head and neck cancers

Head and neck cancers are serious, but many are treatable with the right care.  

Because these cancers can affect your daily life and appearance, we focus on both treatment and quality of life.  

At the UCI Health Head and Neck Oncology Program, your care is coordinated through a multidisciplinary team. We make sure you have access to the specialists and subspecialists you need.  

For you, that means better coordination of care, improved safety and stronger support throughout treatment.  

Your care team may include:  

• Otolaryngologists (ear, nose and throat doctors)
• Anesthesiologists
• Medical oncologists
• Pathologists
• Plastic and reconstructive surgeons
• Radiation oncologists
• Radiologists
• Dental surgeons specializing in prosthodontics
• Speech pathologists
• Experts in swallowing training and nutrition
• Dietitians
• Case managers
• Social workers

Leading-edge care

From diagnosis through recovery, we aim to give you state-of-the-art care.  

Whenever possible, we use minimally invasive techniques to help shorten your hospital stay and support faster recovery.  

We also specialize in robot-assisted head and neck procedures, including scarless thyroid surgery.  

Our examination rooms are equipped with microscopes that support advanced detection and monitoring of head and neck cancers, oral cancer and thyroid conditions.  

To improve survival and quality of life, our teams continue developing new surgical techniques and integrating new chemotherapeutic agents.  

If you need reconstruction, our surgeons also bring expertise in microvascular surgery, prosthetic implants and dental implants.  

How to work with us

All our services are provided under one roof — the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCI Health – Orange — to coordinate all diagnostic and treatment procedures. 

Why choose UCI Health for head and neck cancer care?

Led by an experienced head and neck oncology specialist

Our program is led by William B. Armstrong, MD.

Our specialists are board-certified otolaryngologists with additional training and deep expertise in head and neck surgical oncology and reconstruction.  

Minimally invasive, tissue-sparing expertise  

Our nationally regarded surgeons use minimally invasive and tissue-sparing approaches whenever possible.  

These techniques can help reduce trauma, shorten your hospital stay and preserve more healthy tissue around your tumor.  

Southern California expertise in robot-assisted thyroid surgery  

Our surgeons were the first on the West Coast to offer robot-assisted thyroid surgery.  

We are still the only group performing these robot-assisted procedures in Southern California.  

A truly comprehensive care team  

Your care may involve specialists in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, radiation oncology, medical oncology, radiology, pathology, anesthesia and maxillofacial prosthodontics.  

Speech pathologists, dietitians, case managers and social workers also support you throughout treatment and recovery.  

Research and clinical trials through Orange County’s only academic health system  

As Orange County’s only academic health system, UCI Health is committed to research excellence.  

We regularly participate in clinical trials, which may give you access to promising treatments not yet widely available.