Where Sound Baths Meet Surgery: Inside Stanford's Head and Neck Cancer Symposium
Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week runs April 16-22. To mark it this year, Smart Patients attended the 9th Annual Head and Neck Cancer Patient and Caregiver Education Symposium at Stanford.
A Different Kind of Medical Gathering
On an otherwise gloomy Saturday morning in Palo Alto, something genuinely warm was happening inside the Stanford Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery departments.
Patients, caregivers, families, and clinicians were gathered for the 9th Annual Head and Neck Cancer Patient and Caregiver Education Symposium. This year felt different. It was more interactive, creative, and deliberately focused on the whole person rather than just the diagnosis.
I was there for Smart Patients, delighted to be among colleagues from the Cancer Support Community, the American Dental Association, Stanford Palliative Care, the Stanford Health Library, Stanford Speech and Swallowing Rehab, and Stanford Dietitians.
Starting With Survivors
The day opened with recognizing survivors and asking them to stand. First, survivors of one year, then two to three years, then five or more. The long and loud applause that met them set the tone for the day. Beyond saying you made it, we see you, keep going, it was clear that patients were the reason all of us were present.
Then the symposium leaned into something you don't often see at a medical conference: a sound bath. This exercise gave participants the chance to meditate, set intentions, and start the day with a clear-headed calm. A patient delivered the keynote address, talking about how art sustained her through her own cancer and how she has continued that work to support others facing illness. Breakout sessions invited participants to explore visual arts, dance, and writing as tools for healing and expression. It was a perfect way to warm up the crowd for the technical sessions.
What the Doctors Are Saying
Dr. Chris Holsinger, MD, FACS brought the room up to date on one of the most important trends in head and neck cancer right now. While smoking-related cancers are declining, largely due to reduced tobacco use in the United States, HPV oral cancers are on the rise. Between 2015 and 2019, HPV-related oral cancers increased by 2.3%. The HPV vaccine has already shown significant success in reducing cervical cancer rates; but as Dr. Holsinger made clear, we still must increase public understanding that this same vaccine also protects against oral, head, and neck cancers.
On the treatment side, he shared emerging clinical trial data with real implications for patients. For intermediate cases of head and neck cancer, surgery has been shown to decrease the amount of radiation needed. That in turn reduces the toxicity patients are exposed to. An ongoing study, expected to conclude in October 2027, is exploring whether similar benefits exist for high-risk patients: specifically, whether successful surgery can reduce the amount of chemotherapy needed.
His takeaway was clear: for the right patients, surgery should be the standard of care for oropharyngeal cancer. He was candid about his perspective as a surgeon, but also candid about the numbers. Currently only 29% of patients are referred for surgery rather than radiation, and he continues to question why. What he sees in practice with robotic surgery outcomes is a strong incentive toward surgery.
He ended on a hopeful note: using AI to analyze surgery videos frame by frame, breaking down every motion, may lead to a future where a surgeon could supervise a semi-autonomous procedure from a remote location.
Dr. Heather Starmer talked about her favorite tool for patients, the Patient Concerns Inventory — Head and Neck, and I enjoyed discussing it with her later. It's a practical resource designed to help patients find their voice in appointments and prioritize their shifting needs, concerns, and questions.
What the Patients Are Saying
Throughout the day I spoke with patients and family members in the hallways, during breaks, and at our exhibit table. The conversations were candid in the way that only happens when people feel genuinely safe to speak.
A 12-year survivor spoke about her experience with radiation as "the gift that keeps on giving." Those side effects have been harder for her than the cancer itself. Talking about the importance of self-advocacy and asking questions, pressing for clarity, and understanding your options, she wondered aloud, "If I had asked more questions, would the quality of my life have been different?"
This is something we often see on Smart Patients. That question is not really a sign of regret. It was an invitation to other patients to use her experience to help with their own approach to cancer and treatment. It was also an invitation and challenge for every clinician in that room – and clinicians everywhere – to consider how profoundly their own questions and explanations to patients affect the patients' satisfaction with life forever.
If you are looking for ongoing connection with others navigating oral, head, and neck cancer: