Neck Cancer
What is Neck Cancer? Neck cancer refers to cancers of the external tissues of the neck, rather than the internals of the neck such as throat cancer and esophageal cancer.
Symptoms
- Neck lump
- Neck pain
- Voice altered
- Haemoptysis, coughing up of blood or blood stained mucus from the bronchi, larynx, trachea or lungs.
- Dysphagia, is the medical term for difficulty in swallowing. Patients with difficulty in swallowing may find that liquids cause coughing or even choking, thickening the liquids helps them swallow safely.
- Skin Discolouration
- Headaches
- Earaches
- Pain in swallowing
- Ulcer in throat
- Difficulty breathing
Causes
- Tobacco use
- Alcohol consumption
- Human papillomavirus infection
Risk Factors
- Who gets it? Men and Women over the age of 50 are more often diagnosed with head and neck cancers
- At least 75% of head and neck cancers are caused by alcohol and tobacco use.
Diagnosis
A doctor will need to evaluate a patient's medical history, perform a physical exam, and will order diagnostic tests which will vary depending on the symptoms.
To confirm a diagnosis of cancer, a biopsy of the tissue is required.
If the diagnosis is cancer, the doctor will want to learn the stage of disease. Staging is a careful attempt to find out whether the cancer has spread and, if so, to which parts of the body. Knowing the stage of the disease helps the doctor create a treatment plan.
Treatment Options
Depending on the stage of cancer the following treatments will be necessary or a combination of the treatments:
- Surgery to remove the tumor
- Radiation therapy
- Chemotherapy