| Head and Neck Cancer
Head and neck cancer is made up of a list of tumor sites within the region of the body that includes the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, hypopharynx, nasopharynx, nasal and sinus area, and thyroid.
If you classify each single site of head and neck cancer alone, each would rank as a very rare cancer, but add them all together and head and neck cancers are the sixth most common cancer in the United States, with close to 80,000 new cases diagnosed each year.
Wendell G. (Dell) Yarbrough, M.D., a surgical oncologist specializing in head and neck cancer and director of the Barry Baker Laboratory for Head and Neck Oncology at Vanderbilt-Ingram, said head and neck cancer is one of the top three most commonly seen and treated at Vanderbilt, with roughly 450 new patients a year. If it's not caught early, head and neck cancer can be very aggressive, "much more aggressive than breast or prostate cancer. Roughly 50 percent of patients with advanced stage disease will die within three years of diagnosis," said Yarbrough.
Preventing the disease or catching early warning signs early can save lives. "Stage I disease is very amenable to single modality therapy with cure rates approaching 90 percent," said Yarbrough. Annual screening for head and neck cancer is recommended for patients who use tobacco products.
Warning signs to watch for:
- Sore throat lasting more than two weeks without explanation
- Hoarseness or change in voice quality
- Unexplained loose teeth
- Sores or ulcers in the mouth, tongue or throat
- Spitting up blood
- A mass or lump in the mouth or neck
For more information about the Head and Neck Cancer Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram visit: http://www.vicc.org/clinics/hn.php
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