New research into child face tumors has enabled doctors to help prevent the life-threatening condition.
Dr. Samih Nassif has discovered that using a technique usually reserved for adults can help children from developing the disease.
A Fellow based at the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) at the University of Florida, Gainesville, he said: “In our study, we wanted to prove that we could do this technique for young children by adding some extra steps.
“This enabled us to treat the patients and had a positive success rate. The procedure is minimally invasive and doesn’t affect their nose.”
Dr. Nassif has performed hundreds of surgeries on patients suffering from head and neck cancers.
He added: “This particular procedure has the potential to stop children from developing more serious conditions.”
There are around 20,000 new cases of parotid tumors per year in the United States alone.
The study was outlined in the paper ‘Endoscopic Septal Perforation Repair in Children Using Anterior Ethmoid Artery.’
It was presented to the ASHS to much acclaim in 2020 and proved that minimally invasive surgery could prevent the condition.
Dr, Nassif looked at how ultrasounds can evaluate parotid tumors affecting the face.
The study appeared in the Laryngoscope Investigative Journal in July 2022.
Dr. Nassif was also a resident physician in the Department of Otolaryngology (Head and Neck Surgery) at Tufts Medical Center at the University of Boston, MA.
He created the groundbreaking Tufts Medical Center Sinus Dissection Course, which informs training doctors about nose and throat cancer treatments. The course is the first of its kind.
Dr. Miriam O’Leary, based at Tufts Medical Center with Dr. Nassif, said: “Samih was a dedicated and conscientious resident who managed his clinical and academic workload easily. He was dedicated to independent study to advance his knowledge base. His clinical judgment, surgical skill, and bedside manner were excellent. He was resourceful, teachable, and always striving to improve.”
