Transoral Robotic Surgery or Standard Surgery in Treating Patients With Benign or Malignant Tumors of the Larynx and Pharynx

OBJECTIVES: Primary * Evaluate the potential benefits of using the transoral robotic surgical approach against the conventional open and transoral approaches in patients with benign or malignant disease involving the larynx and pharynx. Secondary * Determine the proportion of laryngeal and pharyngeal surgical procedures where the surgical exposure is adequate to allow the successful completion of the surgical resection using the transoral robotic surgical approach. OUTLINE: Patients are assigned to transoral robotic surgery or standard therapy consisting of conventional transoral endoscopic or open approach according to their preference. Patients undergo planned surgical procedures (either diagnostic or therapeutic) appropriate for their disease in the larynx or pharynx via the transoral robotic surgical approach or the conventional transoral endoscopic or open approach. Patients complete the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Head and Neck Scale, the Performance Status Scale for Head and Neck Cancer Patients, and the University of Washington Quality of Life Scale at baseline and at 3 and 6 months. Patients also undergo voice analysis by acoustic analyses, and speech and swallow pathology evaluation by videostroboscopy and modified barium swallow. After completion of study procedure, patients are followed at 3 and 6 months. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 80 patients will be accrued to the control group (standard conventional surgery) and 30 patients will be accrued to the robotic surgery group.