Head and Neck Cancers

When head and neck cancers are diagnosed early, they can be treated, thus early warning signs of head and neck cancers enables early diagnosis.  Identification of certain warning signs saves your life.

WHAT WHOULD WE PAY ATTENTION?
Swelling in the neck:  Head and neck cancer spreads to lymph nodes in the neck before it is metastatic to any other place in the body.  Swellings in the neck that are observed for more than 2 weeks should be examined by a physician.  Of course, all swellings may be the first symptom of mouth, throat, goiter cancers, certain lymph cancers and leukemia.  This type of swelling is usually painless and in the tendency to grow progressively.

Voice Change
Most of the throat cancers cause change in the voice.  Hoarseness or voice change continuing for more than 2 weeks should warn you to visit your physician.  Otolaryngologist and head and neck specialist can examine your vocal cords easily and by painless methods.  Even though mostly the reason of voice change is not cancer, you should not leave it to luck.  When your hoarseness continues for more than 2 weeks, you should be sure that you are not throat cancer and visit your physician.

Enlargement on Lips
Most of the tongue and lip cancers cause wound and swelling that can not be healed.  Wounds and swellings are painless unless they get infected.  Bleeding can be seen, however it is not observed until the late phase of the disease.  If wound and swelling are accompanied by a mass in the neck, situation should be considered seriously.  Your dentist or physician considers whether or not biopsy (tissue sampling test) is needed, and can transfer you to a head and neck specialist for this procedure.

Bleeding
Bleeding is mostly dependent on a reason other cancer.  However, mouth, throat and lung tumors may cause bleeding.  When bleeding is observed in the sputum or saliva, you should visit a physician.

Swallowing Difficulties
Throat and esophageal cancers make the swallowing of solid foods and sometimes liquids difficult.  Food creates a stinging pain at one point and it goes to the stomach or comes back from the mouth.  In this case, you should visit a physician.  In general, diagnosis is made by means of X-ray barium swallowing film or by direct examination of esophagus by means of a tube swallowed. 

Changes in the Skin
Skin cancers encountered on the head and neck give good response to the treatment started early.  Even though they are observed mostly in skin regions such as forehead, face, ears that are subjected to sun more; they can be observed in any part of the skin.  Skin cancer usually starts with a small pale wound, it enlarges slowly and a cavity an even ulcer forms in the middle.  Part of this area heals; a bigger part is covered by ulcer.  Color change is observed in certain skin cancers.  Squamous cell cancer and malignant hypercalcaemia can be named among the other cancer types observed in the head, neck region.  Some of the squamous cell cancers are observed on the lower lip and ear.  It resembles skin cancer and if it is detected early and treated accordingly, generally it will not be dangerous.  If you have a wound on your lips, face or ear that does not heal, visit a physician immediately.  Malignant hypercalcaemia typically causes a blue-black colored change on the skin.  However, growth of a nevus, color change, bleeding constitute a problem.  When there is a blue-black colored spot on the face or neck that shows change in size and form, you should visit a dermatologist or another physician as promptly as possible. 

Ongoing Ear Pain
Pain in the ear and around ear during swallowing may be dependent on tumor growing in the throat or an infection.  If this complaint is accompanied with difficulty in swallowing, hoarseness or a swelling in the neck it is more striking.  These findings should be evaluated by an Ear Nose Throat specialist as soon as possible.

DEFINING HIGH RISK IN HEAD AND NECK CANCERS

Approximately 30% of head and neck cancers are closely related with smoking and being exposed to specific factors for a long period of time such as alcohol.  Mouth and throat cancer is almost never encountered in adults who didn’t smoke and drink alcohol.  Being exposed to sunlight for a long period of time is related with the lip cancer, and it is the biggest reason of skin cancer.