Manitoba Health

Head and Neck Cancer Surgery

Head and neck cancer surgery is managed and provided through a partnership with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and CancerCare Manitoba.

Note: The wait time data provided is for scheduled tests, treatments and services only. Patients who require emergency care are not placed on a wait list.

On This Page:

What is Head and Neck Cancer Surgery?
Head and Neck Cancer Surgery Wait Times
Cases of Head and Neck Surgery - All Cases Combined
Head and Neck Cancer Surgery Historical Information

What is Head and Neck Cancer Surgery?

Head and neck cancer surgery is an operation to repair or remove part of the group of cancers found in the head and neck region. The head and neck region includes:

oral cavity (mouth);
pharynx (throat);
thyroid;
larynx ("Adam's apple" or voice box);
sinuses (small hollow spaces around the nose lined with cells that secrete mucus);
nasal cavity (airway just behind the nose); and
salivary glands (parotid, submanidular, sublingual glands that secrete saliva).

Data for this head and neck cancer surgery reflects surgery provided for all patients with cancer in the head and neck regions.

Head and Neck Cancer Surgery Wait Times (Median¹)

Priority 1: Urgent < 6 weeks to surgery	Priority 2: Semi-urgent < 12 weeks to surgery	Priority 3: Elective < 24 weeks to surgery	All Priority Levels Combined
3	3	4	3

Data for May 2025

¹ Median wait time: the point at which half the patients have had their treatment, and the other half are still waiting. For example, if a median wait time is 4 weeks, this means that half of the patients waited less than 4 weeks, and half waited more than 4 weeks. The median is another way of reflecting what a "typical" patient might have experienced in that time period. Unlike the average, the median is not generally influenced by one or two very unusual cases (long or short), and is therefore more stable over time.