What health professionals treat patients with head and neck cancers?
Patients with head and neck cancers are best treated by a team of
specialists. The specialists vary, depending on the location and extent of the
cancer. The medical team may include oral surgeons; ear, nose, and throat
surgeons (also called otolaryngologists); pathologists; medical oncologists;
radiation oncologists; prosthodontists; dentists; plastic surgeons; dietitians;
social workers; nurses; physical therapists; and speech-language pathologists
(sometimes called speech therapists).
How are head and neck cancers treated?
The treatment plan for an individual patient depends on a number of factors,
including the exact location of the tumor, the stage of the cancer, and the
person's age and general health. The patient and the doctor should consider
treatment options carefully. They should discuss each type of treatment and how
it might change the way the patient looks, talks, eats, or breathes.
Surgery. The surgeon may remove the cancer and some of the healthy tissue
around it. Lymph nodes in the neck may also be removed (lymph node dissection),
if the doctor suspects that the cancer has spread. Surgery may be followed by
radiation treatment.
Head and neck surgery often changes the patient's ability to chew, swallow,
or talk. The patient may look different after surgery, and the face and neck may
be swollen. The swelling usually goes away within a few weeks. However, lymph
node dissection can slow the flow of lymph, which may collect in the tissues;
this swelling may last for a long time. After a laryngectomy (surgery to remove
the larynx), parts of the neck and throat may feel numb because nerves have been
cut. If lymph nodes in the neck were removed, the shoulder and neck may be weak
and stiff. Patients should report any side effects to their doctor or nurse, and
discuss what approach to take.
Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy. This treatment involves the
use of high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells. Radiation may come from a
machine outside the body (external radiation therapy). It can also come from
radioactive materials placed directly into or near the area where the cancer
cells are found (internal radiation therapy or radiation implant).
In addition to its desired effect on cancer cells, radiation therapy often
causes unwanted effects. Patients who receive radiation to the head and neck may
experience redness, irritation, and sores in the mouth; a dry mouth or thickened
saliva; difficulty in swallowing; changes in taste; or nausea. Other problems
that may occur during treatment are loss of taste, which may decrease appetite
and affect nutrition, and earaches (caused by hardening of the ear wax).
Patients may also notice some swelling or drooping of the skin under the chin
and changes in the texture of the skin. The jaw may feel stiff and patients may
not be able to open their mouth as wide as before treatment. Patients should
report any side effects to their doctor or nurse and ask how to manage these
effects.
More information about radiation therapy is available in the NCI booklet
Radiation Therapy and You: A Guide to Self-Help During Treatment. NCI
publications and materials are available by calling the Cancer Information
Service (CIS) at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
Chemotherapy, also called anticancer drugs. This treatment is used to kill
cancer cells throughout the body. The side effects of chemotherapy depend on the
drugs that are given. In general, anticancer drugs affect rapidly growing cells,
including blood cells that fight infection, cells that line the mouth and the
digestive tract, and cells in hair follicles. As a result, patients may have
side effects such as lower resistance to infection, sores in the mouth and on
the lips, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and hair loss. They may
also feel unusually tired and experience skin rash and itching, joint pain, loss
of balance, and swelling of the feet or lower legs. Patients should talk with
their doctor or nurse about the side effects they are experiencing, and how to
handle them. The NCI booklet Chemotherapy and You: A Guide to Self-Help During
Treatment has more information about this type of treatment.
Additional information on treatment for head and neck cancers can be found in
the following PDQ® cancer treatment summaries, available in patient and health
professional versions, at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/adulttreatment
on the Internet:
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