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Head and Neck Cancer Center - Lake Havasu City, AZ

Lake Havasu City Oncologist Doctors for Head and Neck Cancer

Type of Physician: Oncologist

What is a Oncologist?

A subspecialty certification by the Board of Internal Medicine; the oncologist specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of all types of cancer and other benign and malignant tumors. These subspecialists decide on and administer chemotherapy as well as consult with surgeons and radiotherapists on other treatment for cancer.

Specialty: Oncology (Medical)

Common Name: Cancer Doctor

Lake Havasu City, Arizona

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Head and Neck Cancer

What is cancer?

Cancer is a group of many related diseases that begin in cells, the body's basic unit of life. Normally, cells grow and divide to form new cells in an orderly way. They perform their functions for a while, and then they die. Sometimes, however, cells do not die. Instead, they continue to divide and create new cells that the body does not need. The extra cells form a mass of tissue, called a growth or tumor. There are two types of tumors: benign and malignant. Benign tumors are not cancer. They do not invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body. Malignant tumors are cancer. Their growth invades normal structures near the tumor and spreads to other parts of the body. Metastasis is the spread of cancer beyond one location in the body.

What kinds of cancers are considered cancers of the head and neck?

Most head and neck cancers begin in the cells that line the mucosal surfaces in the head and neck area, e.g., mouth, nose, and throat. Mucosal surfaces are moist tissues lining hollow organs and cavities of the body open to the environment. Normal mucosal cells look like scales (squamous) under the microscope, so head and neck cancers are often referred to as squamous cell carcinomas. Some head and neck cancers begin in other types of cells. For example, cancers that begin in glandular cells are called adenocarcinomas.

Cancers of the head and neck are further identified by the area in which they begin:

  • Oral cavity. The oral cavity includes the lips, the front two-thirds of the tongue, the gingiva (gums), the buccal mucosa (lining inside the cheeks and lips), the floor (bottom) of the mouth under the tongue, the hard palate (bony top of the mouth), and the small area behind the wisdom teeth.
  • Salivary glands. The salivary glands produce saliva, the fluid that keeps mucosal surfaces in the mouth and throat mois...

Recommended Reading Related to Head and Neck Cancer

Oral Cancer »

The mouth and throat

This booklet is about cancers that occur in the mouth (oral cavity) and the part of the throat at the back of the mouth (oropharynx). The oral cavity and oropharynx have many parts:

  • Lips
  • Lining of your cheeks
  • Salivary glands (glands that make saliva)
  • Roof of your mouth (hard palate)
  • Back of your mouth (soft palate and uvula)
  • Floor of your mouth (area under the tongue)
  • Gums and teeth
  • Tongue
  • Tonsils

Understanding cancer

Cancer begins in cells, the building blocks that make up tissues. Tissues make up the organs of the body.

Normally, cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When cells grow old, they die, and new cells take their place.

Sometimes this orderly process goes wrong. New cells for...

Emergency Contact for Lake Havasu City

  • In case of Emergency, call 911

Nearby Lake Havasu City Hospitals *

Havasu Regional Medical Center
101 Civic Center Ln
Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403
(928)855-8185

Parker PHS Indian Health Center
12033 Agency Rd
Parker, AZ 85344
(928)669-2137

La Paz Regional Hospital
1200 Mohave Rd
Parker, AZ 85344
(928)669-9201

Colorado River Medical Center
1401 Bailey Ave
Needles, CA 92363
(760)326-4531

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