Head and Neck Cancer

A group of diseases of cells found in the mouth, lip, nasal cavity, throat, sinuses, and lymph nodes in the neck. Head and neck cancer is a rare condition. Known causes of head and neck cancer are strongly related with lifestyle and environmental risk factors including: tobacco use, alcohol consumption, UV light (sun exposure), certain strains of viruses (Epstein Barr virus [EBV] and human papilloma virus [HPV]), exposure to certain chemicals in the workplace, and vitamin A deficiency. If detected early it is highly curable. The stage of head and neck cancer can vary at diagnosis and throughout treatment. Stages of head and neck cancer include the Tumor, Node, Metastatis (TNM) staging system to describe a different area of cancer growth. After that is known, Stage Grouping using Stages I, II, III, or IV is assigned. This describes the extent of cancer throughout the body. The effectiveness of the treatment may depend upon the stage at diagnosis.

NOTE: Treatment Options listed below are not all-inclusive. Other treatments may be available. ChemoExperts provides drug information and does not recommend any one treatment over another. Only your Doctor can choose which therapy is appropriate for you.

Notice to user: The term chemotherapy, later shortened to “chemo”, originated in the early 1900s from Nobel Prize winning German physician and chemist, Dr. Paul Erlich. Dr. Erlich defined chemotherapy to mean “the use of chemicals as a therapy to treat disease.” (Source). Many years later, the term became synonymous with the use of chemicals to treat cancer specifically. Because early cancer therapies became quickly known for their severe side effect profile, the term chemotherapy took on a negative connotation. If we fast forward several decades, the anti-cancer therapies used today have become refined, and for many diseases, treatment can be safely taken in the comfort of your own home.

As chemotherapy has become particularly targeted, certain side effects have lessened, while new side effects have emerged. However, the premise behind therapy, that is using a chemical to kill cancer, has not changed. Therefore, the clinicians who created ChemoExperts.com believe the term “chemotherapy” still very much applies to all anti-cancer medications, but importantly, can no longer suggest what, if any, side effects a patient is likely to experience. For this to become clear, education regarding each individual drug, as well as information derived from the use of combination therapy (multiple chemo medications) is required. As a result, we have structured our website to make it easier for users to learn about cancer treatment and hope that if you are taking or receiving chemotherapy, that ChemoExperts.com is able to provide you with the tools needed to make the journey a little easier and life more rewarding.