Thomas R. Collins is a freelance medical writer based in Florida.
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June 2017Lessons From the Past
As Dr. Moore moves forward in his treatment of oropharyngeal cancer, he intends to apply teachings from several previous Ogura lecturers, including the following contributions:
Charles Cummings, MD (“Requisites for Survival of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery,” 1996)—Dr. Moore said he will look for new ways to improve TORS by adopting and adapting new technology. “I’ll continue to try to improve my transoral procedures and develop better ways to expose and remove tumors and work with engineering and industry to perfect our tools,” he said.
David Eibling, MD (“When More than the Patient Is Ill,” 2014)—Dr. Moore has resolved to fight the temptation to believe he knows more than he does. “I will keep my mind open and fight against the ‘illusion of knowledge’ as we explore less morbid intensification strategies. Continually testing new therapies and studying our results is how we will find the sweet spot of delivering just enough treatment to each and every patient and each and every tumor. We owe it to our patients to break through this illusion of knowledge by systematically testing our results and the effectiveness of our treatments.”
Donald Harrison, MD (“Moral Dilemmas in Head and Neck Cancer,” 1990)—“Although we are getting closer to avoiding a one-size-fits-all treatment recommendation through knowledge gained in prospective trials, our science can never be perfect enough,” Dr. Moore said. Until then, otolaryngologists should heed the reminder in Dr. Harrison’s lecture and “first, do no harm.”