Head and neck tumors

Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and makes up 2-5 % of cancers in the population. In 2009, the estimated number of new diagnosed head and neck cancers was 35,720 in the US, which includes 10,530 tongue cancers, 10,750 mouth cancers, 12,610 pharynx cancers, and 1,830 other oral cavity cancers. (Jemal A, Siegel R, Ward E, et al. Cancer statistics, 2009. CA: a cancer journal for clinicians. American Cancer Society. Published online May 2009.) Head and neck cancers are more common in men and account for 66-95 % of all cases. Most patients with head and neck cancer are between the ages of 50 and 70 years and the number increases with age, especially after 50 years of age. (Ridge JA, Glisson BS, Lango MN, et al. Head and neck tumors. Cancer management: a multidisciplinary approach. 11 ed. 2008.) Head and neck cancers are strongly associated with certain environmental and lifestyle risk factors, including tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, occupational exposure, and certain strains of viruses, such as the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (Maier et al. Clin Investig 70:320-7, 1992; Cauvin et al. Clin Otolaryngol Allied Sci 15:439-45, 1990; Gillespie et al. JSC Med Assoc 104:247-51, 2008).