Johns Hopkins Oncology Center Head, Neck, Mouth, Throat, Salivary and Laryngeal Cancers Head and neck cancers are diagnosed in more than 70,000 Americans each year.
Men are nearly three times more likely to develop the disease than are women.
Head and neck cancers include cancers of the mouth, such as lip and tongue, the pharynx or throat and the larynx or voice box. Early symptoms occur as a lump or nodule, numbness, swelling, hoarseness, sore throat or any difficulty moving the jaw or swallowing. Risk factors include smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and chewing smokeless tobacco. Hopkins doctors have found that people who smoke one pack of cigarettes a day are six times more likely than nonsmokers to get cancer of the head or neck. Those who also have two alcoholic drinks a day increase their risk 20-fold.