Head and Neck Cancer

About Head and Neck Cancer

Cancers of the head and neck region are fairly uncommon and pose a difficult treatment challenge. Cancers of the head and neck are classified by the area where they originate:

Oral cavity: The oral cavity includes the lips, the front of the tongue, the gums (gingiva), the inside lining of the cheeks and lips (buccal mucosa), the floor of the mouth under the tongue, the bony top of the mouth (hard palate), and the small area behind the wisdom teeth.

Salivary Glands: The salivary glands produce saliva; the fluid that keeps mucosal surfaces in the mouth and throat moist. There are many salivary glands; the major ones are in the floor of the mouth, and near the jawbone.

Para Nasal Sinuses and Nasal Cavity: The Para nasal sinuses are small hollow spaces in the bones of the head surrounding the nose. The nasal cavity is the hollow space inside the nose.

Pharynx: The pharynx is a hollow tube that begins behind the nose and leads to the esophagus (the food pipe that leads to the stomach) and the trachea (the tube bringing air to the lungs).

The pharynx has three parts:

• Nasopharynx: The upper part of the pharynx is behind the nose.
• Oropharynx: The middle part of the pharynx, which includes the soft palate (the back of the mouth), the base of the tongue, and the tonsils.
• Hypopharynx: The lower part of the pharynx.

Larynx: also known as the voice box, contains the vocal cords and the epiglottis, which moves to cover the larynx when one eats to prevent food from entering the airway.

Lymph nodes: in the upper part of the neck. Sometimes, squamous cancer cells involve the lymph nodes of the neck with no evidence of cancer anywhere else. This would be classified as metastatic squamous neck cancer with unknown (occult) primary.

Cancers of the brain, eye, and thyroid, as well as those of the scalp, skin, muscles, and bones of the head and neck are not usually grouped with head and neck cancer.