Laser technology in the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer.

The carbon dioxide (CO2) laser has been used with microsurgical precision as an excisional biopsy tool in the diagnosis, staging, and treatment of laryngeal, oral, and oropharyngeal cancer. Selected early cancers of the larynx and oral cavity have been treated for cure, and more advanced and recurrent tumors have been treated for palliation. Other laser wavelengths, such as the neodymium-yttrium aluminum garnet laser (Nd-YAG) and the argon dye laser employed in tumor photosensitization, have shown promise in the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer. Laser technology is most useful when used in conjunction with the standard cancer therapies, such as radiotherapy, surgery, and chemotherapy.