Head and neck cancer
Overview
Head and neck cancers are a group of cancers of the mouth, sinuses, nose, or throat.
Common symptoms
Symptoms include any abnormalities in the patient's mouth, sinuses, nose, or throat and include a sore or lump that doesn't heal, a persistent sore throat, trouble swallowing, and changes in the voice.
Specialty care
Treatment options
Head and neck cancer is treated by a multidisciplinary team of experts at Simmons Cancer Institute's Head and Neck Cancer Clinic.
Treatment options include either one or more of the following, depending on the cancer:
- Surgery
- Radiation therapy
- Chemotherapy
- Targeted therapy and immunotherapy
When seen in the clinic, patients may undergo flexible laryngoscopy, which is a painless procedure to examine the throat using a scope passed through the nose. If a biopsy has not already been performed, this may be performed in clinic using local anesthetic (numbing medication).
Every head and neck cancer patient is discussed at the multidisciplinary tumor board, which includes our cancer experts who specialize in head and neck cancer. After this discussion, our team will discuss treatment recommendations with the patient.
