Deep five in the Vital Guide: Head and Neck Cancer Awareness
- Approximately 3.3% of all the cancer is head and neck cancer worldwide.
- Consumption of both tobacco and alcohol brings a higher risk of developing this type of cancer than people who only consume one of these alone.
- Human Papillomavirus infection (HPV) is one of the major risk factors for the cause of squamous cancers in the oropharynx.
The month April is known for Head and Neck Awareness month. Cancer, in general, is something that we are entirely terrified of as it is deadly, due to the lack of awareness, the risk is growing wider. Hence through our simple guide, we will try to inform people with valuable details about heads and neck cancer to seek treatment at the right time.
Head and neck cancer renders a group of cancers that start in the squamous cells that are lining the mucosal surfaces in our mouth, throat, nose and sometimes the salivary glands.
Head and neck cancer involves cancers in pharynx, larynx, oral cavity, nasal cavity, sinuses and salivary glands. It is more common in men than in women. It is often diagnosed in people over the age of 50 or quite younger generation.
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What are the risk factors ?
Many significant risk factors contribute to the development of head and neck cancer. However, each of them can vary based on the location and the type of cancer. Here is more:
Use of Tobacco: Intake of cigarettes, pipes, cigars or even smokeless tobacco brings more comprehensive risk in developing neck and head cancer. The risk is so enormously high that these cancers are fortunately very low/rare among who do not take tobacco.
Lack of Nutrition: Healthy diet plays an exceptional role in body maintenance and also pushing off deadly disease. A diet that lacks Vitamins A and B causes a high risk of neck and head cancer.
Consumption of Alcohol: Excessive intake of alcohol also contributes towards developing head and neck cancer among people.
Poor Oral Hygiene: Since the area between head and neck also consists of oral parts, the risk of developing oral cancer also increases due to lack of cleanliness. Individuals with no proper sanitization of teeth and gums are a higher risk of head and neck cancer.
Unhealthy hours of sun exposure: Excessive exposure to the Sun UV rays puts a person at a higher risk for developing head and neck cancer.
Epstein-Barr Virus: It is also known as human herpesvirus 4 and is very common among human viruses. It spreads mostly through bodily fluids like Saliva. Hence it plays a part in the cause of some type of head and neck cancer.
Human papillomavirus (HPV): It is also one of the prevalent but significant risk factors in some type of head and neck cancer.
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What are the symptoms?
Symptoms, similar to the risk factors also depend on the type and at which location cancer develops. Here are some of the most common ones to help you figure it out:
- A sore throat that’s hard to fade away anytime soon
- Visible lump or swelling in the neck, nose or throat
- Difficulty or painful while gulping
- Change in the voice range
- Consistent earache
What are the vital prevention measures?
Majority cases of head and neck cancer are often preventable with a change in your lifestyle and habits. Other risk factors that involve natural processes like gender and age are not controllable. As we mentioned above, men are more likely to come under the influence of head and neck cancer than women. It is more common among people over the age of 40 than others.
Hence there is a mix of different factors that contribute towards its occurrence, most of them can be controlled and can lead to prevention successfully. Here are some of the crucial steps we should consider:
Control/Stop the consumption of Tobacco
Tobacco is a deadly substance that must be ceased from consumption. Quitting the use of tobacco can greatly reduce the chances of developing head and neck cancer. Tobacco and others like cigarettes, pipes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, etc are equally detrimental and injurious to your health and largest contributors of cancers.
Consumption of tobacco holds such significance that almost 85% of shoulders are because of it. Hence it’s recommended to completely quit its consumption to keep you safer from any type of cancer. Or you can start taking the step-through reducing your consumption to witness a positive impact on your health.
Try to avoid prolonged exposure of UV rays
UV rays are underrated injurious substances that must be dealt with precaution. Living under heavy exposure to the sun's UV rays can cause cancer. Skin cancer and cancer around the lip area are one of the most likely situations to happen if you come under UV exposure for a long time. Hence it's widely recommended from skincare enthusiasts to doctors to avoid the sun as much as possible. You can either reduce the sun exposure, look out for more shade or use sunscreen as much as possible while stepping out.
Quit the Intake of Alcohol
Alcohol that is consumed in an inadequate amount brings a greater risk of developing head and neck cancer. Hence it is universally acknowledged to reduce alcohol consumption overtime to get to the safer side of the health chart and exhibiting a lesser chance of developing cancers.
Performing safer sexual intercourse
As mentioned above, human papillomavirus or HPV is one of the prime risk factors for it. HPV is one of those sexually transmitted infections that leads to both cervical cancer and it.
Though there’s a vaccine that’s present to protect against cervical cancer caused by HPV, there is no vaccine proven against head and neck cancer. Hence it is widely recommended by experts in cancer treatment to practice safe sex, including oral sex.
Diagnosis & Treatment
Diagnosis: Early detection helps significantly
Researchers have claimed that most of the neck and head cancer is cured if the growth is detected at the early stage. There’s still no screening methods in place but it's advised for the people who consume alcohol and tobacco to visit for a general health screening annually. Regular health checkups and screening help medical experts to understand the condition of your body and monitor if there’s any abnormality detected in the head and neck area.
Since one of the most common symptoms of head and neck cancer involves the development of swelling or sore, so that helps them to detect early. If you experience such discomforts or unusual growth around the neck and head area, feel continuous and painful problems over the same region then consult your doctors immediately.
Treatment
Treatment for head and neck cancer is commonly through surgical operations. The surgery involves removal of the cancerous tumour and its surrounding areas that’s under its effect. Like various other cancers, it's often unlikely to remove the tumour completely. In cases like that, surgical operations are then done with radiation therapy or chemotherapy to completely remove the cancerous growth.