World No Tobacco Day: Paras Hospital conducted 400 Single Neck Incision Commando Surgeries for mouth cancer

Gurugram, May 31, 2022: Tobacco consumption kills more than 80 lakh people per year.  Tobacco use is a substantial risk factor for cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, over 20 different types or subtypes of cancer, and a variety of other severe health conditions. One of the most common cancers induced by tobacco is mouth cancer. To remove it, cutting from the mouth is a common oncology surgery that leaves noticeable scars and deformities. However, due to the ground-breaking Single Neck Incision Commando Surgery, no incisions in the lips or face are required, saving the patient the misery of living with a scarred or disfigured face.

With over 400 such surgeries conducted, Paras Hospital in Gurugram is the leader in doing Single Neck Incision Commando Surgery. Dr. Piyush Kumar Agarwal, Associate Director-Surgical Oncology at Paras Hospitals, is the first oncologist in North India to do this surgery. “Surgeons frequently operate on the face and make an incision around the mouth during cancer surgery. However, in Single Neck Incision Commando Surgery, the cut is made below the chin, near the neck. Because the scar is small and in skin crease, the healing is fast and without complications leading to early recovery and early start of radiation therapy and improved quality of life. Because the incision is also free flap in which skin tissue and bone from other area are used to replace the resected tissue are being done from this incision at Paras Hospitals.

In addition, salvage surgeries and advanced tongue cancer procedures from the neck are also performed at Paras Hospital with a similar procedure.
 
The procedure is gaining popularity because:
•        No lip muscles are cut.
•        No incisions are made on the face
•        Facial reconstruction results are significantly better
•        When compared to the traditional approach, there is no reduction in mouth opening
•        There are no wound complications
•        Conducting radiation therapy after the cancer surgery is not delayed
•        Recovery is faster because of the small cut, no cross cuts, less infection, and less pain
 
Talking about the rising tobacco-related cancers, Dr.Agarwal said, “Even during the height of the Covid 19 outbreak, we saw no decrease in the number of individuals seeking treatment for tobacco-related cancers. Everyone is aware of the harmful effects of chewing or smoking tobacco. Even individuals who do not use tobacco directly can suffer disease because of it. Second hand tobacco smoking has been linked to negative health outcomes, with 12 lakh fatalities per year. Nearly half of all children inhale tobacco smoke-polluted air, and 65 000 children die each year from illnesses caused by second hand smoking. Smoking during pregnancy can cause a variety of health problems for the baby. Despite this, a huge portion of the population continues to use tobacco on a regular basis, leading to an increase in cancer incidence around the world.”