Head and neck cancer is a term used to describe a range of malignant tumours (cancers) that can occur in the throat, mouth, salivary glands, nose and sinuses.

These cancers are classified and treated according to the location of the primary tumour, or where the cancer started in the head and neck. Head & neck cancers may spread from the primary site to the lymph nodes of the neck.

Throat Cancer
Throat cancers include cancers of the oropharynx (most commonly the tonsils and base of tongue), the larynx (the voice box), the nasopharynx (located behind the nasal cavities), and the hypopharynx (the lowest part of the throat adjacent to the oesophagus).

Mouth Cancer
Mouth cancer is also known as oral cancer. Oral cancers typically start as a white patch, a lump or an ulcer in the mouth.

Salivary Gland Cancer
Salivary gland cancers arise in the salivary glands in the head & neck. The salivary glands are classified as either major salivary glands: the parotid glands, the submandibular glands and the sublingual glands; or as minor salivary glands (in the mouth or throat).             

Sinonasal Cancer
Sinonasal cancers are uncommon cancers that arise inside the nose (in the nasal cavities) or inside the paranasal sinuses (air-filled spaces in the head adjacent to the nasal cavities).