Taken together, head and neck cancers account for 5 to 10 percent of all malignancies. These cancers are more common in men by a ratio of 3 to 1 and are much more common in people over 50. They have a rather good cure rate if they are found early, evaluated adequately and treated with the best available therapy. All three main treatment methods—surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy—are used.
There are about 43,000 new cases in the United States each year, and about one third of head and neck cancer patients die of their disease. The use of chemotherapy ( such as cisplatin + 5 - fluorouracil or low-dose 5-fluorouracil continuous infusion) as an adjuvant to surgery and radiotherapy has produced a definite improvement in response rates. Active clinical trials of combined therapy are under way in an effort to provide a better cure rate in the future.
The broad category of head and neck cancers includes tumors in several areas.
• Lip and oral cavity. This includes the lips, tongue, the inside lining of the cheeks (buccal mucosa), the floor of
the mouth, the gums (gingiva) and the hard palate .
• Paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity. Sinuses are found below and above the eyes and behind the nose.
• Salivary glands. These glands produce saliva to moisten our mouth and help us chew and swallow food.
