11 Things a Head and Neck Cancer Doctor Wants You to Know

如果您对头部和颈部癌症有风险因素，那么了解它们是很重要的。

“酒精和所有烟草使用都是主要的risk factors. Others include having had the Epstein-Barr virus infection or poor oral health,” Dr. Moore says. “Environmental or occupational factors such as breathing wood or nickel dust, or formaldehyde, also increase risk.人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）may cause cancer in the back of the throat, tonsils, and back of the tongue.”

“Don't ignore口腔或喉咙里的疮没有好转,或者只在在喉咙痛e side, ear pain, impacted speech or swallowing, or coughing up blood,” says Dr. Moore. “Same for a lump in the neck that doesn't get better with a short course of antibiotics — it doesn't always mean cancer, but get it assessed.”

去医生或牙医的其他原因包括松散的牙齿，舌头或嘴唇的麻木，或没有愈合的有色皮肤溃疡，疼痛，瘙痒或出血。

治疗can include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination, says Dr. Moore.

“你通常会问你的医生哪种方式会给你一个治疗的最佳机会，具有最少的长期副作用和对言语和吞咽的最小影响，以及最少的嘴巴和咽喉干燥，”他说。“我们通常策略策略以优化癌症治疗，同时最大限度地减少短期或长期副作用。”

Your health care team will look at the stage of your cancer — with I and II being early stages and III and IV being more advanced — to help determine a treatment plan.

“分期不仅取决于原发性肿瘤，还取决于它是否已经蔓延到淋巴结，”摩尔博士解释道。“经常出现或更先进的肿瘤通常需要手术，然后辐射或用辐射和化疗手术。”

根据您的癌症所在的位置，手术可能或可能不是一线方法。例如，Moore博士说，“对于喉咙背部或喉部的HPV相关的肿瘤，手术并不总是第一步。可以使用它，但也考虑了辐射或化学疗法。同样，它取决于位置，删除的情况有多容易。所有这些都取决于个人和他们案例的具体细节。“

One of the first steps in treating this type of cancer is to find out whether it is related to the HPV virus, Dr. Moore says. This is done with a biopsy.

"[HPV-related] tumors do tend to be more responsive to treatment," he says. "Tumors caused by chronic tobacco and/or alcohol use tend to be less responsive to therapy. Both can be treated, however."

HPV-related head and neck cancers are on the rise. The virus is passed through intimate skin-to-skin contact. While there’s no screening test for HPV in the head and neck, there is one highly effective way to prevent HPV-related cancer: “Do this by avoiding the infection altogether and get vaccinated against HPV,” Dr. Moore says. Thevaccines are recommendedfor boys and girls at age 11 or 12, but can be given as early as 9 and as late as 26 (women) or 21 (men).

副作用取决于您收到的治疗类型。

“Radiation can cause neck ‘sunburn,’ real dryness of the mouth and throat, thick mucus in the throat, and trouble with swallowing so eating and drinking become difficult," Dr. Moore says. "The voice can change, and the sense of taste, because taste buds have been altered. Chemotherapy enhances effects of radiation, and can cause mucusitis — ulceration of the digestive tract lining — along with irritation of the throat, hair loss, and nausea.”

Beyond the current standard treatments, promising new therapies are being developed.

“免疫疗法，帮助您自己的免疫系统对抗癌症，可以与某些类型的头部和颈部癌一起使用 - 这主要是在临床试验中进行，”摩尔博士说。“这也是具有经常性癌症的人，这是一种抗标准治疗的人。它对每个人都不适合，但是当它工作时，它可能非常有效。“

And there's more good news: “Surgery used to impact appearance much more than today since we have new reconstructive surgical techniques to rebuild head and neck areas, the jawbone, portions of the mouth and throat, and skin of the neck,” Dr. Moore says. “Replaced tissue can be removed and combined with a conscious effort to conceal the surgery site and preserve functionality.”

Additionally, new robotic and other techniques have improved function and appearance, and therefore quality of life, he says.

Lastly, Dr. Moore shares why he is passionate about changing the lives of people diagnosed with head and neck cancer: “I have the ability to help people through a very difficult time. Head and neck cancer can affect their ability to eat and drink, and it can affect their appearance,” he says. “I want to treat people and help them to be cancer-free, as well as to maintain their function and their identity and self-esteem. I find it all very rewarding.”