OnCo
termsTerm

Head and neck subsites (oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx)

aka oral cavity, oropharynx, oropharyngeal, hypopharynx, nasopharynx, nasopharyngeal, larynx, laryngeal, larynx preservation, salivary gland

Head and neck cancer is really several cancers named by exact location: mouth (oral cavity), back of the throat (oropharynx, where HPV cancers arise), voice box (larynx), lower throat (hypopharynx) and behind the nose (nasopharynx). Each behaves and is treated differently.

Oral cavity cancers are treated surgically first. Oropharyngeal cancers, now mostly HPV-driven, respond so well to chemoradiation that de-escalation trials are under way; laryngeal cancer is often treated with radiotherapy to preserve the voice, with laryngectomy for salvage; nasopharyngeal carcinoma, EBV-driven and concentrated in southern China, gets IMRT plus platinum and is monitored by plasma EBV DNA. Subsite determines staging (AJCC 8 gives HPV-positive oropharynx its own system), surgical access and functional consequences for speech and swallowing.

Category
Anatomy

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