Symptoms of throat cancer include a change in voice quality such as hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, irritation and pain in the throat, coughing or spitting up blood, or the appearance of a lump in the neck or throat. Symptoms of mouth cancer may be bleeding or pain in the mouth, irritation around the gums, loosening of the teeth, a visible ulcer or a change in the way dentures fit. Sometimes the cause of cancer cannot be identified, but there are other risk factors known to increase the chance for the disease developing in the head and neck area. The head, face, and neck are common sites for skin cancer to develop because of their continual exposure to ultraviolet rays. Thyroid cancer, appearing as a lump in the throat, is another type that may have no obvious cause, but may be associated with a genetic abnormality or exposure to low levels of radiation in childhood.
Tumors also occur in the nose and sinuses with sometimes subtle warning signs.
Data Coordinator Oncology Patient Welfare Coordinator Melissa Weber, BS Beth Duisen, RN Physical Therapist Katie McDonnell, PT If you have a personal health concern, contact your family physician or internist. If appropriate, your physician may then decide to refer you to a specialized clinic such as the Head and Neck Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine. If you have questions about the Head and Neck Oncology Division at the Washington University School of Medicine, you can email us.