What Is Head And Neck Cancer?

Head and neck cancer is a form of cancer that forms in the head or neck areas. It is the term given to many forms of malignant tumors that grow in the mouth, the throat, paranasal sinuses, around the nose, nasal cavity, voice box and salivary glands.

Head and neck cancer is strongly linked with various environmental and lifestyle risk factors, which include smoking, drinking alcohol, and certain strains of human papillomavirus (a sexually transmitted disease).

Head and neck cancer is often very hard to diagnose early, since many people experience only mild symptoms. Head and neck cancer is more prevalent in individuals over 50 years old, and 3 times more prevalent in males than in females. The staging of head and neck cancer is based on the overall size of the tumor, lymph node involvement, and how far the cancer has spread, among other factors.

The medical specialist that will assist you in the meeting may start the talk by giving a description of what head and neck cancer is including the location of the cancer, the risk factors that may be involved, its various symptoms, diagnosis, and then finally, the treatment.

People who are at the highest risk of developing head and neck cancer are those who either smoke, or chew tobacco.

Treatment

Treatment for head and neck cancer will be dependent upon the person who has the cancer, the type of cancer that is discovered, the stage of cancer and the persons overall health.

Treatment will depend on the type of head and neck cancer you have, or at what particular stage the cancer is currently in. Treatment for head and neck cancer could involve surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.  Again, this will depend on the stage of the cancer when it is initially discovered. A newer treatment for many patients with head and neck cancer is called transoral laser surgery. Your doctor may discuss this with you.

In addition to a complete physical exam, your doctor may also use blood tests, x-rays, MRI's, tomograms, arteriograms, endoscopy and biopsy in order to give an accurate diagnosis and to design the best possible treatment plan for you.