Benefits and risks
When NICE looked at the evidence, it decided that this procedure is safe enough and works well enough for use in the NHS. The 7 studies that NICE looked at involved a total of 728 patients.
Generally, they showed that:
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About the same number of people were still alive after 5 years when treated with transoral carbon dioxide laser surgery as with electrocautery (in which the tumour is removed using electrical energy).
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Survival rates were improved by patients having radiotherapy after the procedure.
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Three out of 69 patients in 1 study had their disease come back after slightly less than 2 years.
The studies showed that the risks of transoral carbon dioxide laser surgery included:
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bleeding in the first week after the procedure (including 1 death from severe bleeding)
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severe difficulty swallowing, and food or liquid going down the wrong way, which can cause choking and chest infections
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the airway becoming blocked during the procedure, which needed surgery
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the need to have a permanent or temporary tracheostomy (a hole through the neck into the windpipe) to breathe
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nerve damage.
If you want to know more about the studies see the guidance. Ask your health professional to explain anything you don't understand.
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