Head and neck cancer is a broad name for any type of cancer that is found in your head or neck region, including:
- —found in the upper, middle or lower part of your larynx, near or involving your vocal cords.
- Lip and Oral Cavity Cancer—can affect the inside of your mouth, cheeks, gums, and parts of your .
- Oropharyngeal Cancer—in your tonsils, on the side and back of your , and the back of your tongue.
- Nasopharyngeal Cancer—located in the region behind your nose.
- Hypopharyngeal Cancer—found in the area located behind your larynx.
- Salivary Gland Cancer—is from one of the several major or minor glands that produce saliva.
Tobacco and excessive alcohol use are two of the most common risk factors for these types of cancers.
These types of cancers can affect your common everyday activities, such as eating, talking and even breathing. At Cancer Care of Western New York, we have experience helping patients and their families adjust to any lifestyle changes resulting from treatment and side effects.
Click here to download our head and neck cancer information sheet.
Signs and Symptoms
A sore throat and changes in your voice are two symptoms associated with head and neck cancer. Other sores and lumps—especially ones that do not go away—may also be signs.
Additional symptoms include:
- Ear pain
- Problems with chewing or swallowing
- Red or white patches in your mouth and surrounding areas, or thickening of your mouth, gums or lips
- Pain, numbness, bleeding or swelling
- Loose teeth or dentures
- Previous lip or oral cavity cancer
- Unexplained weight loss
- Coughing
Screening and Diagnosis
Your physician may start with a physical exam, then send you for additional tests, including:
- An x-ray
- An MRI
- A CT scan
- A PET scan
Some types of head and neck cancer can also be evaluated with an endoscopy (using a scope to see inside your body), or a barium swallow (x-rays taken after you swallow a special liquid to further evaluate your condition). A biopsy is used to determine the diagnosis.
Treatment Options
Head and neck cancer is treated differently depending on the site involved and the extent of the disease
.
- Surgery—Surgery typically involves removal of the tumor and may involve removal of part or the entire site of disease. It may also involve removal of some of the lymph nodes in your neck.
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Radiation—Radiation may be used alone or in combination with chemotherapy. It can also be used before or after surgery. At Cancer Care of Western New York, we are committed to providing the latest in radiation treatment technology. For example, we have more experience with RapidArc Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) than any other facility in the area. We believe that having state-of-the-art equipment makes a real difference in the quality of care we provide to all of our patients, especially since these sophisticated IMRT techniques can help spare your head and neck from unnecessary radiation exposure. These external beam radiation treatments are fast, safe, and do not make you radioactive—it is fine for family members and friends to be around you.
We highly recommend that you quit smoking before you start radiation therapy, as radiation for head and neck cancers has been shown to be more effective in patients who do not smoke.
- Chemotherapy—Chemotherapy may be used along with radiation.
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Contact us to learn more about Cancer treatment options
For more information about any of our services, please call 716-844-5500 for our Cheektowaga office, 716-338-9500 for our Jamestown office, or 716-898-2850 for our Niagara County office, email info@cancercarewny.com, or fill out this online form.