Head & Neck Cancer is the most common Cancer males.
It is easily detectable, and hence very much curable, provided you start treatment early.
Head & Neck Cancer
Head & Neck Cancer
Common Doubts and Questions
It is a general term that indicates Cancers involving the parts around the mouth. It can be from the lips, mouth, tongue, throat, voice box or the nose.
The most common cause for Head & Neck Cancer is Tobacco Consumption – either as smoking or as Paan, Gutkha etc.
The common symptoms of a Head & Neck Cancer are as below:
- Painless wound in the mouth or lips
- Change in voice
- Difficulty in swallowing
- Any painless selling in the neck ( Lymph node swelling )
If you have any of the above mentioned symptoms for more than 3 weeks, you should immediately consult a ENT surgeon.
They will do the necessary tests to rule out a Cancer.
There are 3 sites of investigations required for a suspected Cancer.
- Looking at the tumor directly
- Doctor Examination
- Visualisation with a camera ( Scopy )
- Looking at the tumor with scans
- CT or MRI
- Examining the tissue
- Biopsy – Most preferred
- FNAC
Not every individual with a Head & Neck Cancer requires a PET Scan at the first step.
Your will doctor will order it if it is needed specifically.
If detected early, head & neck cancer can be cured, if treated with proper sequence of treatments.
There are 2 main treatments used for the head and neck cancer.
- Surgery
- Radiation
Depending upon the site of the tumor, you may require surgery first followed by radiation.
In some locations like voice box, radiation may be preferred initially.
This is decided by your team of oncologists based on the location and size of your tumor.
Chemotherapy is an accessory treatment to radiation in Head & Neck Cancer.
In some patients requiring radiation, chemotherapy may be added to improve the the benefits of radiation.
Surgery is an essential treatment for Mouth & Tongue Cancers. Combining surgery & Radiation will give you the best chances for cure for these cancers.
Cancers of the throat and voice box can be treated with radiation alone, avoiding surgery, in the early stages.
If radiation is suggested after Surgery, it is to reduce the chances of Cancer coming back.
In that case, avoiding radiation can be very risky, as the cancer can come back or spread to other organs, before there is a chance to identify the regrowth.
Cost depends upon the number of treatment modalities used ( Surgery, Radiation, Chemotherapy )
That again depends on the location of stage of the cancer.
In general each one of these treatment modalities can cost around 2 lakhs, so the total cost can be from 2 lakhs to 5-6 lakhs over a period of 2-3 months, for complete cure.