Tumors of the head and neck

Head and neck cancer treatment

Tumors of the head and neck is a large category of diseases that includes formations located in the oral cavity, larynx, throats. This also includes oncological diseases of the salivary glands, nose, paranasal sinuses and thyroid cancer. Tumors may involve the lips, skin, bone, mucous membranes, nasal cavity, or paranasal sinuses. They are able to form in epithelial cells, connective, nervous or melanin-forming tissue.

Head and neck cancers are malignant tumors in designated areas. In most cases, this is squamous cell carcinoma, that is, a cancerous tumor from epithelial cells. If the head cancer started in the epithelium but has invaded the layers below it, then it is an invasive squamous cell carcinoma. If head or neck cancer originates in the salivary glands, then it is called adenocarcinoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, mucoepidermoid carcinoma.

Among all cancers, head and neck tumors account for approximately 20%. But about 8% of male patients and about 5% of female patients suffer from head and neck cancer in Russia. Head and neck tumors can be aggressive, metastatic, and difficult to treat. They most often affect people over 50 years of age. Oncological diseases with head and neck tumors include: laryngeal cancer, nasal cavity cancer, oral cavity cancer, nasopharynx or oropharynx cancer, tongue cancer, paranasal sinus cancer, salivary gland cancer, etc.

Tumors of the head and neck do not include tumors and cancers of the eyes, brain, and lymphatic system.

The treatment of head and neck tumors involves doctors of narrow specialties, such as dermatologists, endocrinologists, otolaryngologists, surgeons, dentists, oncology specialists, etc. Our clinic has doctors of all the necessary profiles. Give us a call or sign up online and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Among the risk factors for developing head and neck tumors:

  • smoking, drinking alcohol and chewing tobacco;
  • poor oral hygiene, rinsing with alcohol-based mouthwashes;
  • genetic predisposition and the presence of a similar diagnosis in relatives;
  • Epstein-Barr virus, human papillomavirus (HPV) and some others;
  • systematic consumption of too hot food;
  • radioactive and ultraviolet radiation;
  • hazardous production, where there is a risk of contact with chemicals, soot, dust, paint, etc.;
  • diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, beriberi, problems of the immune system.

Symptoms of head and neck tumors

In the initial stages, oncological diseases rarely make themselves felt by changes in the state of health. But the head and neck tumors themselves are visible visually in 70% of cases, therefore they are detected during the examination of the patient. Common symptoms of head and neck cancer include:

  • small lump or sore that won't heal;
  • painful sensations when swallowing, which indicates the development of an inflammatory process;
  • permanent hoarseness of voice, impaired speech;
  • mucous discharge from the nose;
  • sore throat;
  • deformity of the neck or face;
  • bulging eyes;
  • nose or ear congestion;
  • An unpleasant odor caused by necrosis (observed in the last stage).

Symptoms of head and neck cancer may also include: nausea, red or white plaque, nasal congestion or bleeding, hearing loss, bumps, ulcers, wounds that do not heal, weight loss, pain, and other discomfort in the head and neck that do not pass.

An important sign of head and neck cancer is swollen lymph nodes, speech disorders, changes in hearing, vision, smell that do not go away for several weeks and are not associated with a respiratory disease. All these symptoms of head and neck cancer can resemble a cold or an allergic reaction, which is why patients with this cancer often seek help too late, when the head or neck cancer is already in its advanced stages.

But in general, the clinical picture depends on the location of the tumor, the stage of head or neck cancer, and other factors. If you experience burning or sore throat or tongue, hoarseness, and this does not go away within 2-3 weeks, you need to be examined. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms, please leave your phone number and we will contact you to schedule an appointment with an oncologist.

The most common types of head and neck cancer are:

  • Cancer of the lip - in most cases, it affects men and is located on the lower lip. This is, as a rule, squamous cell carcinoma (the tumor develops from epithelial cells), which is easy to identify in the early stages, and therefore the treatment prognosis is very optimistic. Lip cancer is preceded by frequent cracks in the lips, excessive thickening of the epidermis (hyperkeratitis). atosis), warty precancer and some other precancerous conditions.
  • Cancer of the oral cavity - in about half of the cases it is cancer of the tongue, the second most common is cancer of the floor of the mouth. It may be preceded by hyperkeratotic lupus erythematosus, leukoplakia, lichen planus. Cancer looks like an ulcer or induration, the tumor may protrude above the mucosa. Most often it is a squamous cell carcinoma or, less commonly, a glandular cell tumor (adenocarcinoma). The disease can be imperceptible, quickly metastasize to the lymph nodes. But in the early stages, the patient shows symptoms such as discomfort or pain, then it becomes difficult to swallow and talk, ulcers and bleeding appear.
  • Salivary gland cancer is a rare disease among head and neck tumors and occurs in 3-5% of cases. Most often, the disease captures the large parotid glands. Cancer has forms such as mucoepidermoid or acinar cell carcinoma, cylindroma, or adenocarcinoma. Gives metastases to the lymph nodes, in some cases spreads to the bones and lungs. There are often no symptoms other than compaction, but with metastasis, facial paralysis (paresis) may occur.
  • Cancer of the larynx and pharynx is a rare disease among malignant tumors, but among head and neck tumors it occurs in 12% of cases (cancer of the pharynx). Less dangerous disease of the vocal cords - the tumor grows slowly and usually does not metastasize. More aggressive is cancer of the upper larynx. Signs are perspiration, feeling of a foreign body, pain during swallowing, hoarseness if the patient's vocal cords are affected. Cancer of the pharynx quickly metastasizes. Laryngeal cancer is difficult to detect in the early stages, as it can be asymptomatic.
Head and neck cancer treatment

Diagnosis of head and neck tumors

In most cases, the primary diagnosis of head and neck tumors is carried out by an otolaryngologist or maxillofacial surgeon. And many of the neoplasms are already detected by visual inspection. To do this, use special mirrors, equipment for endoscopy. The doctor palpates the lymph nodes and the tumor itself. The tumor may be mobile or fused with surrounding tissues.

If a malignant neoplasm is suspected, head or neck cancer, depending on its location, the patient is sent for an X-ray examination, magnetic resonance or computed tomography, and ultrasound. The size and prevalence of tumors of the head and neck are best of all, their structure can be seen on three-dimensional CT images. Neoplasms, the development of which is asymptomatic, can be detected in the process of "oncoscreening" based on MRI-DVI.

For the final diagnosis in the field of oncology, confirmation of the malignancy or benignity of the tumor of the head and neck, a biopsy of the tumor is necessary. The essence of the procedure is that a piece of the patient's affected tissue is taken for research in the laboratory. In this way, the histological nature of the neoplasm is clarified.

The oncology department of the K+31 clinic has all the necessary equipment for diagnosing head or neck cancer. Give us a call or contact us online and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Methods of treating head and neck tumors

Treatment of head and neck tumors depends on their location, size, stage, age of the patient, his condition. Minimally invasive therapies are used to treat head or neck cancer at an early stage (0 and 1), when the tumor has not yet spread. When it begins to metastasize, more aggressive methods have to be resorted to, including surgery, as well as chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

If the tumor of the head and neck was diagnosed at an early stage and has not yet reached a large size, then radiosurgical treatment is usually resorted to. To do this, a device called “cyberknife” is used, which is capable of delivering the dose of radiation required to destroy tumor cells exactly to the specified area. The required number of sessions depends on its size, usually they require from three to five. For example, this method is often used as an alternative to surgical removal of the larynx, which has a very negative impact on the duration and quality of human life.

Most often, an integrated approach is used in the treatment of head and neck tumors. The treatment regimen is developed individually. Patients may be given:

  • chemotherapy;
  • radiotherapy IMRT;
  • radiosurgery;
  • Little-traumatic laparoscopy.

IMRT radiation therapy has shown high efficiency in the treatment of head and neck tumors that were detected at an advanced stage and have already become inoperable. This is the only possible solution in the case when chemotherapy for head or neck cancer has not brought the expected result. Radiation therapy IMRT gives a much better result than 2D and 3D conformal radiation therapy or gamma knife. With the help of modern equipment, a verified therapeutic dose of ionizing radiation can be more accurately applied directly to a head or neck tumor. At the same time, the surrounding tissues, if they suffer, are minimal.

If head or neck cancer spreads and metastases are detected, radiation therapy to nearby lymph nodes is prescribed. If this treatment fails, they are removed surgically.

Surgical treatment of the tumor, and sometimes the affected lymph nodes, is a very radical procedure. If head and neck tumors are in the first stage, then one operation may be enough. If it is head or neck cancer of the second stage, then a more comprehensive approach is used - for example, a course of radiation therapy is performed before the operation. This reduces the size of the education. Radiation therapy is also applied to nearby lymph nodes.

Endoscopy, cryodestruction, laser destruction, drug therapy, which includes targeted and immunotherapy, photodynamic therapy, etc., are used to treat head and neck tumors.

If the tumor cannot be removed when the head or neck cancer is in the last stage, radiation therapy or chemotherapy, or a combination of both, is used as a palliative measure.

Rehabilitation of patients after surgery and tumor removal or other treatment of head and neck tumors consists in restoring the functions of the organ affected by the disease and the treatment itself, as well as cosmetic correction of visible defects. This requires the work of plastic surgeons, speech therapists, psychotherapists.

For head and neck cancer, the prognosis of survival depends on the location of the tumor, ee size, presence or absence of metastases, as well as the stage of cancer. In 90% of cases of head and neck cancer, recovery occurs in the first stage. At the fourth stage - in less than half of the cases.

Tumors of the head and neck that do not have obvious visual symptoms are very rarely diagnosed in the early stages. But the chances of recovery largely depend on this. Therefore, you should not refuse planned medical examinations, which must be taken at least once or twice a year. Only such an attitude to one's health will allow timely detection of head or neck cancer and effective therapy.

Highly qualified specialists work in the K+31 Medical Center, in the oncology department, who successfully treat head and neck tumors. We use the latest advances in medicine to diagnose and treat patients, we provide combined treatment and apply an integrated approach. Our doctors prefer minimally invasive and less traumatic techniques for the treatment of head and neck tumors, as well as organ-preserving procedures. They carry out surgeries, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, plastic surgery, which are often necessary for patients with head and neck tumors, as safely as possible. Our clinic also treats breast cancer, stomach cancer, lymphoma, melanoma and other types of cancer.

The medical center is located in Moscow. Call us or leave a request on the site, and we will contact you to clarify all the details.

Service record



Specialists

All specialists
Merkulov
Igor Alexandrovich

Deputy chief physician for oncology, oncologist

Doctor of Sciences, PhD


Academician, professor, Doctor of Sciences, PhD

Petrov
Dmitry Yurevich

Deputy chief physician for oncology, surgeon

PhD, Docent

Ershova
Ksenia Igorevna

Head of department, oncologist

PhD

Rasner
Pavel Ilyich

Consultant in urology, urologist

Doctor of Sciences, PhD, professor

Malygin
Sergey Evgenyevich

Oncologist-mammologist, surgeon

Pshikhachev
Ahmed Mukhamedovich

Urologist, Oncologist

Doctor of Sciences, PhD

Shevchuk
Alexei Sergeyevich

Oncogynecology consultant, obstetrician-gynecologist

PhD

Chichkanova
Tatyana Vladimirovna

Oncologist-mammologist, radiologist

Katz
Ksenia Vladimirovna

Dermatovenerologist, oncologist

Rakova
Elena Sergeevna

Oncologist, chemotherapist

Udin
Oleg Ivanovich

Deputy chief physician for surgery, surgeon

PhD

Kogonia
Lali Mikhailovna

Chemotherapist

Doctor of Sciences, PhD

Ushenina
Maria Valerievna

Oncologist-chemotherapist

PhD

Stepura
Yulia Evgenievna

Head of the department of antitumor drug therapy, oncologist, chemotherapist

Volkova
Daria Mikhailovna

Head of the radiation therapy department

Gomov
Mikhail Alexandrovich

Consultant in oncogynecology, obstetrician-gynecologist

Grishin
Igor Igorevich

Obstetrician-gynecologist

Doctor of Sciences, PhD, professor

Achba
Maya Otarovna

Radiologist, ultrasound diagnostician, oncologist-mammologist