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Head and neck cancer

Carcinoma capitis et colli · Nádory hlavy a krku

What it is

Cancers of mouth, throat and voice box — from smoking and alcohol, and increasingly from HPV.

Symptoms & signs

  • Ulcer or lump in the mouth lasting 3 weeks
  • hoarseness
  • painful swallowing
  • neck lump
  • ear pain with a normal ear

🚩 Get help if…

  • call 112 / 911 now Noisy breathing or struggling to breathe
  • see a doctor soon Mouth ulcer or red or white patch lasting over 3 weeks
  • see a doctor soon Hoarseness or pain on swallowing lasting over 3 weeks
  • see a doctor soon A lump in the neck that stays over 3 weeks

Where it strikes

Medical treatment

  • Surgery
  • radiotherapy with cisplatin
  • transoral robotic surgery
  • immunotherapy for recurrence
  • HPV vaccination as prevention

Natural & lifestyle

  • Stop smoking and drinking
  • dental care before radiotherapy
  • HPV vaccination
  • swallowing exercises through treatment

Emerging & experimental

  • De-escalated treatment for HPV-positive disease
  • circulating HPV DNA monitoring

Alternative, off-label & anecdotal

Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.

  • Honey rinses for radiotherapy mouth ulcers — trials show relief mixed evidence
  • Glutamine for radiotherapy mouth ulcers — trials disagree mixed evidence
  • Laetrile (apricot kernels) — no benefit, and cyanide poisoning not confirmed in trials

ICD codes