Understanding Risk Factors for Head and Neck Cancers
Head and neck cancersaccount for nearly in the United Statesandaremore common among men.They’re also diagnosed more often among people over age 50 than among younger people.
Understanding the risk factors and knowing which symptoms can be associated with head and neck cancers can be a direct link to early diagnosis and treatment—and a positive outcome for patients.
“A cancer that gets diagnosed promptly is the key to a successful treatment,” sayshead and neck surgeon VictoriaBanuchi, MD,assistantprofessor ofotolaryngologyatɰapp Medical College, Cornell University,andassistantattendingotolaryngologist atNewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
Risk Factors in Head & Neck Cancers
Prolonged exposure to risk factorsplaya significant role, Dr.Banuchiadds.
“Tobacco[cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, or snuff]and alcohol use puts patients at a very increased risk—they’re up to 40 times more likely to develop a mucosal head and neck cancer that that can affect the tongue, throat, and tonsils,” she explains.
Sexual behavior also is akey risk factor, Dr.Banuchiadds.
“Most of us have sex as a risk factor.We’ve been seeing an increase in theoropharyngeal cancersthat are linked to the,” she says. “They may initially cause a mild discomfort in the back of the throat and be slow growing.But if there’s a lump, pain, and persistence, patients should seekmedicalattention.”
may be caused by prolonged exposure to sunlight and is a major cause of skin cancer.
Thecitesadditionalrisk factorsfor head and neck cancers,including eating preserved or salted foods; poor oral hygiene; occupational exposure to wood dust, asbestos, and synthetic fibers; radiation exposure; Epstein-Barr virus infection; and Asian(particularly Chinese)ancestry.
Asymptomatic head & neck cancers
Somehead and neckcancers—thyroid cancer, for example—have no risk factors.(also points tothyroid canceras one of theleastdeadly cancers.)
“Thyroid cancer is very common and can happen to anyone,” Dr.Banuchiexplains. “If caught promptly, these are very responsive to treatment.”
Although some head and neck cancers can be otherwise asymptomatic, Dr.Banuchisays they often get picked up by yearly physical evaluations, and sometimes patients notice symptoms themselves.
Dr.Banuchimentionsthatpatientsshouldsee a physician ifthe following symptoms persist for two weeks and/or don’t respond to treatment:
- lumps in the neck(middle of the neck in the case of thyroid cancer)
- pain or bleeding in the mouth
- unexplained ear painor trouble hearing
- changes in the voice
- difficulty swallowing or breathing
- unexplained weight loss
- fever above 101 degrees
To diagnose cancers of the head and neck, a physician will take a detailed medical history perform a physical examination. Patients with specific symptoms may undergo follow-up exams and tests, followed by an analysis of a sample of tissue under a microscope to confirm or rule out a cancer diagnosis.