What is head and neck cancer?

The basics.

In head and neck cancer, certain cells in the mouth, nose, sinuses, salivary glands, throat, or the lymph nodes in the neck grow uncontrollably, forming a solid mass called a tumor. Head and neck cancer occurs in three basic types: early-stage, metastatic, and recurrent:

• In early-stage head and neck cancer, the tumor is confined to the place it started. It may not have spread at all, or it may have spread to the lymph nodes
• In metastatic head and neck cancer, the disease has spread from its original location to other parts of the body
• A cancer is called recurrent if it returns in a person who seemed to be disease-free after their treatment

Where are some of the places in the head and neck that cancer can develop?

Most tissues in the body can become cancerous, including the tissues that make up our heads and necks. When cancer occurs in the neck, it may start in the throat (the pharynx), on the voice box (larynx), or on the piece of cartilage (epiglottis) that acts as the “lid” of the windpipe to prevent food from going into it.

Head and neck cancer can start in the nose or the hollow areas behind the nose (the paranasal sinuses). And, in the mouth, cancer can affect the tongue or gums, as well as the salivary glands.

The lymphatic system is also sometimes a cancer site. Consisting of lymph nodes and lymphatic vessels, the lymphatic system stores and moves immune system cells.

How common are head and neck cancers?

Cancers of the head and neck make up about 3% to 5% of all cancers in the United States. They’re more common in people over the age of 50 and those who use tobacco.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) estimated that in 2009, about 55,000 men and women will develop head and neck cancer in the United States.

Of the new diagnoses of head and neck cancer made each year, the American Cancer Society estimates that about 24,000 are of specifically throat cancers. About half of those are cancers of the pharynx, the other half being cancers of the larynx.