Clinical Research Directory

Pre-Op MRI on Margin Status for Transoral Robotic Surgery for HPV+ Tonsillar Squamous Cell Carcinoma

This prospective research study aims to see if pre-operative MRI can predict the margin status after transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for human papillomavirus positive (HPV+) tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The pre-operative MRI will have a standard MR neck without and with contrast, with added axial T2 weighted sequence and T2 SPACE sequence through the tonsils. Three neuroradiologists will grade the thickness of the pharyngeal constrictor muscle (the muscle that surrounds the tonsils) on a five-point scale. The study will determine if the pre-operative MRI grading will correlate with positive, insecure (\<1mm), or secure (\>1mm) margin during TORS surgery for your HPV+ tonsillar SCC.