Head
and neck cancers affect the organs and systems in the head and neck. This
collection of cancers includes: hypopharyngeal cancer; laryngeal cancer; lip and
oral cavity cancer; metastatic squamous neck cancer with occult primary; nasopharyngeal
cancer; oropharyngeal cancer; paranasal sinus and nasal cavity cancer; parathyroid
cancer; and salivary gland cancer. Annually, about 38,000 people in the US are
diagnosed with a head or neck cancer. A variety of treatments for patients with
head and neck cancers exist, including surgery to remove the cancer; radiation
therapy, which is the use of high-dose x-rays to kill cancer cells; and chemotherapy,
which is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Other types of treatments are
being tested in clinical trials.