Incidence of Head and Neck Cancer on the Rise Skip to main content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Los Angeles, 03 May 2019 05:00 AM America/Los_Angeles Incidence of Head and Neck Cancer on the Rise The incidence of head and neck cancer is on the rise. Photo by Getty. Burgundy ivory ribbon awareness on doctor's hand, symbolic bow color for head and neck cancer, oral squamous cell carcinoma, throat, laryngeal and pharyngeal cancer (Burgundy ivory ribbon awareness on doctor's hand, symbolic bow color for head and Cedars-Sinai Cancer and the Department of Surgery recently offered free head and neck cancer screenings "Head and neck cancers can affect almost anyone, not just those who smoke or drink heavily," said Allen S. Ho, MD, director of the Head and Neck Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai. "And often times, symptoms aren't obvious, so patients could be diagnosed at an advanced stage." According to the American Cancer Society, each year almost 100,000 Americans are diagnosed with head and neck cancer, which often appears in the nasal cavity, sinuses, lips, mouth, salivary glands, thyroid glands, throat and larynx. Rates of head and neck cancer have risen in part due to human papilloma virus (HPV). HPV causes normal cells in the back of the throat to turn abnormal, and in most cases, the body can fight off the infection. "When the body cannot fight off the virus, HPV can lead to throat cancer," said Ho. Symptoms for HPV-related throat cancer may include a persistent sore throat, hoarseness, enlarged lymph nodes and pain when swallowing, although many people are asymptomatic. The HPV vaccine in those 13 to 45 years old provides protection from infection and cancer later in life. Symptoms for other head and neck cancers may include a neck lump, persistent sore throat, hoarseness, pain when swallowing or unexplained weight loss. Risk factors for head and neck cancers include human papilloma virus (HPV), tobacco use and excessive alcohol consumption. Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Lifestyle and Cancer: Understanding the Connection Related Stories RSS feed - Related Stories (opens in new window) View all headlines - Related Stories Cancer Patient Sails Again September 19, 2022 06:00 AM America/Los_Angeles Jeannea Jordan, who turns 80 in October, is a local sailing pioneer who began racing and cruising her 30-foot sailboat 25 years ago when few women were part of the sport. When a tumor on her spine ran her aground last year and her oncologist at … Read more Study Active Surveillance an Effective Option for Thyroid Cancer September 15, 2022 08:01 AM America/Los_Angeles A novel clinical trial from Cedars-Sinai Cancer shows that active surveillance is an effective treatment for many low-risk thyroid cancer patients. The study, published in JAMA Oncology, also showed for the first time that patients who opted for … Read more Study Patients Prefer Stool Test to Colonoscopy September 12, 2022 10:00 AM America/Los_Angeles Three-quarters of people prefer to do a fecal immunochemical test (FIT) rather than a colonoscopy for their regular colorectal cancer screening, according to a new Cedars-Sinai study.Unlike colonoscopies, FIT doesn’t require lengthy preparation, … Read more Show previous items Show next items Contact the Media Team Email: [email protected] Share this release Incidence of Head and Neck Cancer on the Rise Share on: Twitter Share on: Facebook Share on: LinkedIn Search Our Newsroom Social media Visit our Facebook page (opens in new window) Follow us on Twitter (opens in new window) Visit our Youtube profile (opens in new window) (opens in new window) Latest news 07 Oct 2022 - HealthDay: Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries 07 Oct 2022 - Faculty Publications: Sept. 29-Oct. 6 07 Oct 2022 - Fine-Tuning Organ-Chip Technology 06 Oct 2022 - KCRW: Want New Omicron Booster? Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot 05 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics 04 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Showcases Hispanic and Latinx Art Newsroom Home