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Head & Neck CancerCancers of the head and neck are more common in men than women. Squamous cell carcinomas are much more common in smokers and people who drink a lot of

alcohol, particularly spirits, and even more common in people who do both.

Major types of Head & Neck Cancers are

Hypopharyngeal Cancer

The hypopharynx is the bottom part of the pharynx (throat).The pharynx is a hollow tube about five i nches long that starts behind the nose and goes down to the neck tobecome part of the esophagus (the tube that goes to the stomach). Air and food pass through the pharynx on the way to the windpipe (trachea) or the esophagus.

Cancer of the hypopharynx is a disease in which cancerous (malignant) cells are found in the tissues of the hypopharynx. Cancer of the hypopharynx most commonlystarts in the cells that line the hypopharynx, called squamous cells, and is calle d squamous cell cancer. If ca ncer starts in the lymph cells of the hypopharynx, it isconsidered non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Laryngeal Cancer

There are three main parts of the larynx: the glot tis (the middle part of the larynx where the vocal cords are located); the supraglottis (the tissue above the glottis); and the

subglottis (the tissue below the glottis). The subglottis connects to the trachea, which ta kes air to the lungs.

Cancer of the larynx is a disease in which cancerous (malignant) cells are found in the tissues of the larynx. It is most commonly found in people who smoke. If a personwho smokes develops cancer of the larynx, they should stop smoking. ip and Ora l Cavity Cancer

Salivary Gland Cancer

The symptoms that may indicate such cancers are painless and/or increasing swelling under the chin or around the jawbone, numbness in the face, inability to move

muscles in the face and pain i n the face, chin, or neck

Thyroid Cancer

Cancer of the thyroid is a disease in which cancerous (malignant) cells develop in the tissues of t he thyroid gland. The thyroid gland makes important hormones that helpthe body function normally.

There are four main types of throid tu mors :

In this test, the patie nt is administered radioactive isotope glucose and since the cancers use sugar much faster than normal tissues, the cancerous tissue takes up theradioactive material. A PET scanner can spot the radioactive deposits.

Papillary Carcinoma is the most common type of thyroid cancer that develops very slowly from the thyroid follicle ce lls and can be treated successfully. The tumors often

spread to the lymph nodes.

Follicular Carcinoma is the second most common type of thyroid cancer, but it occ urs much less frequently than papillary thyroid cancer. These cancers do not spreadto the lymph nodes and usually stay i n the thyroid. However, they sometimes spread to other parts of the body.

Anaplastic Carcinoma is a rare and aggressive type of thyroid cancer that develops from either papillary or follic ular cancer. It spreads quickly through the neck andother parts of the body and is often fa tal.

Medullary carcinoma develops in the thyroid's C-cells, which produce hormones that help control the a mount of calcium in the blood.

Diagnosis of Head and Neck Cancers

The doctor may want the patient to have a computerized tomography (CT) scan or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan in order to obtain a n accurate picture of the

face, chin, or neck. If the doctor fi nds abnormal tissue in these tests, he or she may want to obtain a sample of the tissue for evaluation. A small piece of the tissue can becut away in a procedure called a biopsy. The tissue is then examined under a microscope to see if it contains any cancer cells. A biopsy is the o nly way to confirm acancer diagnosis.

Treatment Head and Neck Cancer

Surgery - is an important part of t he treatment of head and neck cancers and aims to remove the cancer completely. If the cancer is larger, surgery will often involve ahospital stay and an operation under general anaesthesia. Some times the amount of surgery may involve more than one part of your head and neck, and may mean that

you will have scars on your face or neck, which may require reconstructive or plastic surgery later.

Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer

India's leading Cancer hospitals now have some of the world's moset advanced radiation equipment like L inac, Novelis, Gamma Knife and Cyberknife for treating Colonrectal Cancers. High technology radiation is used to ki ll cancer cells without affecting the healthy tissues. Radia tion may be used to reduce the tumor prior to surgery or toobviate the symptoms of colorectal cancer such as pain, bleeding, or blockage.

Photodynamic (PDT) therapy for Head and Neck Cancer

PDT uses a combination of laser light of a specific wavelength and a light-sensitive drug to destroy cancer cells. The light-sensitive drug (the photosensitisi ng agent) isinjected into a vein. It circulates in the bloodstream and is take n up by cells throughout the body. The drug is taken up more by cancer cells than healthy cells. It is notactivated until it is exposed to laser light of a particular wavelength. When a laser is shone on to the cancer, the drug is triggered to interact with oxygen, which then

destroys the cancer cells.

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