Head & Neck Cancer Awareness Month is an initiative to encourage adults who are at high risk for head and neck cancer to take advantage of the nationwide and international free screenings. A key message of the campaign is that early diagnosis is key to successful treatment of these types of cancers.
Head & Neck Cancer Awareness Month in April
This information is provided solely for education purposes and does not represent medical advice, nor is it a substitute for seeking professional medical care.
Tools from the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance:
Screening Information for Clinicians
Patient Health Resources
Head and neck cancers are curable if caught early. Fortunately, most of them produce early symptoms. You should know the potential warning signs so you can alert your physician as soon as possible.
“Oral, head and neck cancer” typically refers to squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue, throat, and voice box. However, “head and neck cancer” also refers to other types of cancer that arises in the nasal cavity, sinuses, lips, mouth, thyroid glands, salivary glands, throat, or voice box.
A neck mass is an abnormal lump in the neck. Neck lumps or masses can be any size—large enough to see and feel, or they can be very small.
A neck mass is an abnormal lump in the neck. Neck lumps or masses can be any size—large enough to see and feel, or they can be very small.
HPV can cause cancer, but not all HPV infections lead to cancer. The most commonly affected area by HPV-related cancer is the oropharynx, an area in the throat made up of the tonsils and the base of tongue.
Examination under anesthesia is performed by a surgeon to evaluate the back of your throat, voice box, the back of your nose, upper trachea (breathing tube) and upper esophagus (swallowing tube).
A biopsy involves taking a sample of tissue from the neck mass. This sample of tissue is looked at under the microscope by a pathologist (a specialized doctor), to make a diagnosis. A biopsy is a common test to check for cancer.
What Does it Mean that I Have a Neck Mass at Increased Risk for Malignancy? What Do I Do Next? How Urgently Should I Be Evaluated? What Questions Will My Doctor Ask? And more!
What Does it Mean that I Have a Neck Mass at Increased Risk for Malignancy? What Do I Do Next? How Urgently Should I Be Evaluated? What Questions Will My Doctor Ask? And more!
Cancer of the voice box, or laryngeal cancer, is not as well known by the general public as some other types of cancer, yet it is not a rare disease.