Head and neck cancers are the sixth most common cancer globally and the fifth most common cancer in India. These include lips, mouth, throat, tonsil, nose and sinus, ear, voice box cancers. The presenting symptoms of the head and neck cancer may vary according to the site of the cancer.
Symptoms:
Throat pain or sore throat, difficulty swallowing, voice change, oral ulcers, ill-fitting dentures, breathing difficulty, swelling in the neck, and nasal bleeding with headache that persists for more than 3-4 weeks need medical attention. Persistent sore throat can be a warning sign of throat (oropharyngeal) cancer.
Which age group is largely affected?
The common age group affected by head and neck falls between the 5th to 6th decades, but there is a shift in the age profile for oropharyngeal (throat) cancer that affects younger individuals.
What are the common causes?
The common causes of head and neck cancers include smoking, alcohol, betel/pan/tobacco chewing, sharp teeth, spicy food, HPV infection, exposure to heavy metals, etc.
For your daily dose of medical news and updates, visit: HEALTH
Head and neck cancer affects even people who are non-smokers. These cancers are most common in males. The cause of such cancer in females is generally due to spicy food, pan chewing and HPV infection.
Treatment:
Early diagnosis can be a game-changer in the management of head and neck cancers. The treatment and prognosis depend on the stage of the cancer. The extent of surgery, the need for any adjuvant treatment such as radiation or chemotherapy, recurrence rate, etc., depends entirely on the stage of the surgery. Early diagnosis definitely improves the outcomes and success rates of cancer treatment.
Precautions to be considered:
General precautions include avoidance of causative agents like smoking, alcohol, tobacco usage, spicy food and proper dental treatment for sharp teeth. Patients should not take the persistent symptoms lightly and seek medical guidance immediately.
The main modality of treatment for head and neck cancer is either surgery or radiotherapy. The first choice of treatment for a mouth, nose and tongue cancer is surgery followed by radiation based on the staging. The choice of treatment for throat (oropharyngeal) or voice box cancer is radiotherapy. The role of chemotherapy in head and neck cancer is limited to adjuvant therapy for advanced-stage cancer.
For more information, consult a health expert.
(The author is a consultant ENT at Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road, Bengaluru)
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK.
