Two days later (July 27th) is the “World Anti-Head and Neck Cancer Day”. Head and neck cancers cover cancers in many parts from the sinuses to the hypopharynx. Due to the impact on appearance and function, the treatment is even more challenging. Among them, tongue cancer can be diagnosed at a young age. The public should take preventive measures, pay more attention to related symptoms, and early detection and early treatment.
Chen Shaokang, a specialist in clinical oncology, said that head and neck cancer is a collective term for a series of head and neck cancers, “including the nasopharynx, oropharynx, hypopharynx, throat, sinuses, and oral cavity, such as the oral mucosa, gum, lips, and tongue. However, the skin of the brain and face is generally not included in head and neck cancer.” In Hong Kong, nasopharyngeal cancer, laryngeal cancer and tongue cancer are more common.
Nasopharyngeal cancer is not necessarily nosebleed
Many people think that patients with nasopharyngeal cancer suffer from nosebleeds. In fact, nosebleeds are uncommon. Most nosebleeds will flow back slightly. If you spit in the morning, there will be less blood. Chen Shaokang continued, “The most common problem is hearing problems, because tumors It often occurs near the exit of the Eustachian tube, blocking the Eustachian tube, making the patient’s hearing unclear, as if taking a high-speed elevator. Be careful if the symptoms persist for several days.” If the tumor is large, it may be blocked in the nose; If it passes through the skull, there will be facial numbness, headache, and diplopia.
Laryngeal cancer occurs in the vocal cords, and the patient will continue to speak in the vocal sand; however, it is more difficult to detect if it is located above or below the vocal cords.
Early surgery or radiotherapy
The treatment plan depends on the stage of the cancer and the location of the tumor. In the early stage, surgery and electrotherapy are mainly used. Chen Shaokang pointed out, “The more accessible parts such as the oral cavity can be treated with surgery; For major trauma, electrotherapy is used to preserve organ function as much as possible. In recent years, the treatment has also been combined with chemotherapy, such as preoperative chemotherapy to shrink the tumor before surgery, or combined with electrotherapy to produce a synergistic effect.” If the disease has spread, traditionally There are chemotherapy and monoclonal antibody drugs, and immunotherapy has been added in recent years, which can be used alone or together with chemotherapy to improve the efficacy.
A 70-year-old patient suffered from nasopharyngeal cancer more than 20 years ago. He was treated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Although he was cured, he left with serious sequelae, such as neck shrinkage and hardening, and hearing loss. Last year, I went to see a doctor for sore throat. The otolaryngologist found a tumor in the left tonsil. The examination confirmed that it was squamous cell carcinoma, not a recurrence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma that year. When considering the treatment plan, if the surgical excision is very traumatic, even if the skin flap is replaced, it may not heal due to poor blood circulation in the neck.Fortunately, the test found that immunotherapy was suitable for use, and the patient no longer needed painkillers after receiving two injections. This year
In February, the tumor disappeared completely, but there was a side effect of rash, and the treatment was temporarily suspended, but it has continued and the condition is satisfactory.
Chen Shaokang believes that immunotherapy is still in its infancy, and about 20 to 30% of patients can benefit now. I believe there is still a lot of room for improvement. Scientists are also studying how proteins on the surface of white blood cells regulate the immune response for better efficacy.
Do a good job of prevention
Although the age of onset of head and neck cancer is mainly in the middle-aged or the elderly, there are many patients in their thirties, such as tongue cancer, so prevention efforts should be done as soon as possible. Chen Shaokang suggested, “Don’t smoke, drink alcohol, and don’t eat betel nut. If your teeth often damage your mouth, you should seek treatment from a dentist and pay attention to oral hygiene. In addition, HPV is also one of the causes of head and neck cancer, and vaccinations may be considered. Nasopharyngeal cancer It is highly heritable in the family, and if there is a family history of the disease, regular blood tests should be performed to help early detection.”
Originally published on AM730 https://www.am730.com.hk/health/cancer/head and neck cancer-may be young onset/330239