Cancers Involving The Facial Nerve

There are some cancers where treatment may impact upon, or the cancer itself may involve the facial nerve. The facial nerve is the nerve which controls movement of the muscles of the face.

Cancers involving the facial nerve however, require management of the nerve itself and thought as to how best to achieve this.

Where there is nerve involvement, treatment may require carefully following the nerve back towards the brain, with the aim of obtaining a clear margin beyond. This is something which only a few centres are able to offer. At the present time, here in Oxford, we are able to offer this level of complex surgery with good comparative outcomes.

Dynamic Facial Nerve Reanimation

Working as a team, we are able to provide solutions to cancers involving the nerve, including dynamic facial nerve reanimation. This is a move towards a more sophisticated way of reconstructing the nerve which involves cutting edge surgery. Our overall aim is trying to reproduce function of the face as best as possible.

Although there is no substitute to your normal functioning facial nerve, nevertheless this surgery aims to provide the best possible function. Where your tumour involves the nerve, it is important to be aware of your options, including how the tumour will be removed and what reconstruction will be offered to you. For that reason it is important to talk to your specialist about how they can help you with this.

By working closely with a plastic surgeon who focuses on the reconstructive aspects of the surgery, we are able to ensure that the functional aspects of the surgery are as best managed as they can be. We regularly audit our complications, outcomes and constantly analyse ways of improving this

In any case, where you need to get expert care from a qualified ENT specialist consultant in Oxford, you can book your consultation today. Firstly, please get in touch with our team by filling out the form here. Priy Silva holds clinics at both Nuffield Health Oxford and GenesisCare.