Head & Neck Cancer Types
Head & Neck Cancer Types - Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
| Cancer of the mouth, nose and throat are sometimes called head and neck Cancers. Any part of the mouth, nose and throat may be affected by cancer. A cancer can start in: • The squamous epithelium; cells that form the lining of the mouth, nose, throat or voice box (larynx) • The salivary glands or the thyroid glands. |
| Skin of the Head and Neck Cancers Radiation- cancers (basal and squamous cell carcinomas) thought to be caused in part by sun exposure, especially the head (face, ear and lip) and neck. |
| Basal cell carcinoma tends to be slow growing. It is very rare for a basal cell cancer to spread (metastases) to nearby lymph nodes or to distant parts of the body. But if a basal cell cancer is left untreated, it can grow into nearby areas and invade the bone or other tissues beneath the skin. The type of cancer most common in the mouth, nose and throat is called a squamous cell carcinoma. Squamous cell carcinomas tend to be more aggressive than basal cell cancers. They are more likely to invade fatty tissues just beneath the skin, and are more likely to spread to lymph nodes and/or distant parts of the body, although this is still uncommon. Squamous cell carcinomas most often occur on the lip, the tongue, the floor of the mouth under the tongue or the area at the back of the mouth; the tonsils, soft palate or base of the tongue, or the voice box (larynx). The thyroid generates hormones that control the body’s heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and metabolism. Thyroid cancer develops when cells of the thyroid grow uncontrollably. Fortunately, most thyroid tumours are begnin (non-cancerous). |
| More information on mouth, nose and throat cancer. |