What to Know About Head and Neck Cancer
posted: Nov. 22, 2022.
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Head and neck cancer is a complicated disease. It can be caused by a wide variety of factors and can be diagnosed and treated by an ear, nose, and throat specialist. Your ENT specialist wants you to find out all you can about prevention, symptoms, and treatment of head and neck cancer.
These are just a few important facts you need to know about head and neck cancer:
Prevention of Head and Neck Cancer
Head and neck cancer are often caused by smoking or other tobacco use. Quitting tobacco use is one of the most important ways you can help prevent head and neck cancer. You should also do a self-check of your head and neck regularly. You need to pay attention to:
- Swollen lymph nodes in your neck
- Large moles, with a diameter of 6 millimeters or more
- Moles with an irregular border
- Moles that have changed in size, shape, or color
- Moles that have grown back after previous removal
Signs and Symptoms of Head and Neck Cancer
There are some identifiable signs and symptoms of head and neck cancer for you to pay attention to, including:
- Chronic earaches that don’t resolve quickly
- Chronic sore throats that last longer than 2 weeks
- Chronic pain and difficulty swallowing
- A growth in your mouth or throat
- Abnormal tissue in your mouth or throat
- Moles that appear abnormal on your skin
- Swollen lymph nodes in your neck that don’t resolve
Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer
Your ENT specialist is an expert at diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer. Diagnosis may require imaging studies including MRI, CT scan, and others. Lab testing may also be required, along with a biopsy of abnormal tissue or growths.
Along with diagnosis, your ENT can treat head and neck cancer with several treatment options, including:
- Surgery to remove cancerous tissue or growths
- Radiation therapy to kill abnormal, precancerous, or cancerous cells
- Immunotherapy to kill cancerous cells and stop future growth of cancer
You can get help for head and neck cancer by calling your ENT specialist. To find out more about prevention, symptoms, and treatment of head and neck cancer, call your ENT specialist today.