The mission of the Head and Neck Tumor Program is to provide the most comprehensive, advanced, and compassionate care to each patient while pursuing future goals of the control of head and neck cancer through research.

The Head and Neck Tumor Program in Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina prides itself on the compassionate, comprehensive, innovative care of each patient and family member.

The program was started by Dr. F. Johnson Putney, who was the inaugural treasurer of the American Society for Head and Neck Surgery in 1955. Dr. Putney, who resided in Charleston with his wife, Ginger, remained a consultant to the Program until his death in 2004. The F. Johnson Putney Annual Head and Neck Lectureship, which is now in its 18th year, honors an internationally renowned head and neck cancer clinician each year.