Malignant tumors of the head and neck region are among the most common types of cancer worldwide. In Germany alone, it is estimated that more than 15,000 people are diagnosed with such tumors every year. In around one in two patients, the neck tumor is already at an advanced stage.
Alcohol abuse and nicotine consumption are still among the most common causes of head and neck tumors. In addition, there are studies that have been able to detect human papillomaviruses (HPV) in samples of tumor tissue. It is therefore now assumed that a proportion of neck tumors are caused by the papilloma viruses HPV16 and 18.
Cigarettes and alcohol are the most common causes of neck tumors
HP viruses are sexually transmitted infectious agents. Experts assume that the viruses enter the mouth and throat early in life via oral sex. According to a recent study, the risk of throat tumors is increased by a factor of 4.4 in people who have had active oral sex.
Head and neck tumors remain completely asymptomatic for a long time. Precursors, as known from other tumor entities, are usually absent. Oral cavity carcinoma can lead to whitish changes in the oral mucosa. Specialists refer to this as leukoplakia. It belongs to the precancerous lesions - the precancerous stages.
Throat tumors exhibit the following symptoms at an advanced stage:
- hoarseness
- coughing
- Difficulty swallowing
Changes in voice, as can occur with laryngeal carcinoma, also provide initial indications of a possible tumor.
If hoarseness persists for more than four weeks and you have chronic difficulty swallowing, you should consider a throat tumor.
Head, throat and neck tumors are diagnosed using imaging techniques. This usually means that the mouth, throat and larynx are examined endoscopically. To do this, the doctor inserts a probe into the mouth and throat via a tube. This even allows him to examine the larynx and vocal cords. An ear, nose and throat specialist is often consulted if the findings are unclear.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computer tomography (CT) is used to precisely characterize a possible tumour focus. A tissue sample, known as a biopsy, is taken to determine how advanced the throat tumor is.
The neck tumor is diagnosed precisely with the MRI
If the disease is advanced and to rule out metastases, the lungs (thorax) and abdomen are also examined.
Due to their proximity to vital structures in the head and neck area, neck tumors are always treated on an interdisciplinary basis. The focus is on surgically removing the primary tumor in the neck area.
If the neck tumor is limited to the head and neck area, a cure can be achieved in 30-40% of cases, even at an advanced stage. This is often achieved with the help of multimodal therapy approaches. In addition to surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are also available, for example.
Chemotherapy is one of the treatment approaches for neck tumors
If the neck tumor has already formed metastases, a cure is no longer possible. In this case, palliative therapy is used. This means that the main aim is to maintain quality of life for as long as possible by slowing down the growth of metastases. Ideally, this can be achieved with the help of chemotherapy or one of the modern immunotherapies.
The prognosis of neck tumors depends in particular on the stage and location of the tumor in the head and neck area. The more advanced the tumor is, the worse the patient's prognosis usually is. If there are already distant metastases, a cure is no longer possible.
Throat tumors are treated on an interdisciplinary basis. This means that a number of experts from very different medical specialties are involved, such as
- Oncologists,
- ear, nose and throat specialists,
- head and neck surgeons,
- psycho-oncologists and
- dentists.