Head & Neck Cancer
Head and Neck Researchers
What is Head and Neck Cancer?
Head and Neck Cancers (HNC) are cancers of the mouth, nose, sinuses, salivary glands, throat, and lymph nodes in the neck. Many HNC are caused by tobacco and alcohol use, but oral infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) has become increasingly important in HNC. HPV can cause HNC in both males and females younger than 40, and now causes 70% of cancers in the back of the throat, the base of the tongue, and the tonsils. Some HNC still have no known cause. In 2018, there were about 65,000 new cases of HNC diagnosed in the United States, resulting in nearly 14,000 deaths.
Symptoms of HNC include a canker-like sore in the mouth, trouble swallowing, hoarseness, sore throat, ear pain, swollen glands, sinus problems, or a lump in the neck. Although these symptoms are usually not due to HNC, HNC are often discovered after repeated treatments fail to relieve persistent symptoms.
Treatment for HNC involves surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or a combination of these. In addition to altering physical appearance, HNC treatments can cause long-term difficulties with eating, swallowing, and speaking.
HNC patients with HPV-related or small, localized tumors have a favorable prognosis with high cure rates. Patients with late-stage HNC (large tumors or tumors that have spread elsewhere in the body), however, have an overall 5-year survival rate less than 56%. Prognosis is also poor for patients whose tumors recur or who develop new HNC in a previously treated area.
Stopping the use of all tobacco products is the most important way to reduce the risk of HNC, even for people who have smoked for many years. Avoiding alcohol and marijuana use, applying sunscreen, and reducing the risk of HPV infection by limiting the number of sexual partners and receiving the HPV vaccine can lower the risk of HNC.
Research has discovered much about how some HNC develops, such as the role of HPV, and has improved HNC prevention and treatment in many ways. But a lot more need to be learned. We know little about how some types of HNC develop and thus might be prevented, such as salivary gland tumors. We need to extend life for patients with late-stage or recurrent HNC. And all HNC patients would benefit from ways that better match the therapy they receive to their individual needs.
