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Head & Neck Cancer

Head and neck cancers can have many different names depending on where the cancer starts. Head and neck cancers includes cancers that start in the throat, nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, oral cavity, nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, and salivary glands.

According to Cancer.net, Head and neck cancer accounts for about 4% of all cancers in the United States. This year, an estimated 66,630 people (48,740 men and 17,890 women) will develop head and neck cancer.

At Northern Ohio Regional Cancer Center, we understand how hard it can be to choose the perfect team for the treatment of head and neck cancer. Our highly trained physicians take a multidisciplinary approach to create your individualized treatment plan. It’s important to have the very latest treatment options with a dedicated team in a comfortable and caring setting, close to your home. You deserve exceptional and compassionate care and Northern Ohio Regional Cancer Center will be an integral part of your journey to survivorship.

Possible side effects of head & neck radiation therapy:

  • Fatigue
  • Mouth sores
  • Mouth infection (oral thrush)
  • Taste changes
  • Loss of appetite
  • Dry mouth and thick saliva
  • Hoarseness
  • Swallowing difficulties
  • Skin redness, burning and pain in the area treated
  • Breathing difficulties
  • Weight loss
How do we treat head & neck cancers?

Radiation can be used before head and neck cancer surgery to shrink the tumor or after surgery to kill any cancer cells left in the area. It is often delivered in conjunction with chemotherapy and targeted mediations. Head and neck cancers occur when cancerous cells develop in the head and neck area, including the mouth, throat, and nasal cavity. Usually, cancers of the head and neck begin in the moist lining of mucosal surfaces or the tissue lining of organs with hollow openings. Treatments are scheduled Monday through Friday over the course of several weeks. In some cases, we can delivery higher doses of radiation in fewer treatments.

Your treatment is custom-tailored and unique to your diagnosis, tumor size, location and involvement. Your radiation oncologist (a doctor who specializes in treating cancer with radiation) will review all available treatment options and recommend a personalized plan for you based on national guidelines, which guide all cancer treatments. Radiation therapy is used either alone or in combination with other treatments such as chemotherapy and surgery.

Radiation can be delivered either from outside the body with a machine called a linear accelerator (external beam radiation) or from a radiation source implanted permanently or temporarily in the body (brachytherapy).

Benefits of Radiation Therapy:

  • Pain Free Treatment Delivery
  • Non-Invasive
  • Custom Tailored Treatment Plan
  • Little to No Side Effects
  • Immediate Return to Daily Activities
  • Minimal Radiation Exposure to Adjacent Healthy Tissue

Talk To A Team Member Today

We know you have a choice about where you get your cancer care but we hope you’ll choose us. Here are the top reasons why we believe Northern Ohio Regional Cancer Center is the best choice:

  • We use the most advanced therapies available.
  • Our doctor is specially trained and board certified. Meet Dr. John Prescott!
  • Our medical, technical and support staff are experts at what they do.
  • Our treatment plans follow national guidelines and are the same protocols as those used by the top academic cancer centers.
  • We work as a one team that is closely coordinated, with one focus.
  • We want everyone to feel like family.
  • We keep close tabs on your physical, mental and emotional well-being because we care about quality of life.
  • You get to stay close to home, surrounded by the love and support of your family and friends.