Stage I cancers, regardless of their location in the head or neck, respond similarly to surgery and to radiation therapy. Usually, radiation is aimed not only at the cancer but also at the lymph nodes on both sides of the neck because more than 20 percent of these cancers spread to the lymph nodes. Some tumors, including those with a diameter of more than three fourths of an inch and those that have invaded bone or cartilage, are removed by surgery. If cancer is found or suspected in the lymph nodes, surgery is generally followed by radiation therapy. For cancer in an advanced stage, a combination of surgery and radiation therapy usually offers a better prognosis than either treatment alone.
Chemotherapy kills cancer cells at the original site, in the lymph nodes, and throughout the body.
Whether combining chemotherapy with surgery or radiation therapy improves the cure rate isn't known, but combined therapy does prolong remission. If the cancer is too advanced for surgery or radiation therapy, chemotherapy can help reduce the pain and the size of the tumor. Treatment almost always has some adverse effects. Metastatic Neck Cancers A doctor may discover an abnormal lump in the neck of a person who has no other symptoms. An abnormal lump may be caused by a birth defect or an enlarged lymph node, which may result from an infection or cancer.