Head and Neck Cancer Therapy

Head and neck cancer therapy is a major deciding factor in chances of survival of the victim. Therapy can be both preventive (especially for those susceptible to head and neck cancer recurrence) and curative. Various forms of therapy are available worldwide and can be used independently or on combination of one or more therapies. Undergoing proper therapy helps in avoiding damage to tissues present in the affected area and enables the victim to recover fast.  

Meaning and Aspects of Head and Neck Cancer Therapy 

Victims suffering from cancer of head and neck are mostly adults above 45 years of age. Majority of the victims suffering from the disorder are men and the disorder can occur in various areas of head and neck simultaneously or in a phased manner. Major areas of head and neck prone to cancerous development include lips, pharynx, cheek, jaws, larynx, mouth cavity, gums, nasal cavity, tongue, throat, salivary glands, and external or internal portion of neck. Keeping a track on cancerous growth becomes difficult if the disorder reaches advanced head and neck cancer stages and causes rapid metastasis of tumors. Also, recommending reliable surgery becomes a difficult task as cell behavior changes very rapidly and is less likely to be curbed by a particular form of head and neck cancer treatment at a time. One needs to undergo very detailed process of head and neck cancer diagnosis to understand exact behavior of tumor-growth and the extent of damage it has caused or is likely to cause. 

Therapies are more fruitful if undergone in early stages (usually the first two stages) and can cause less side-effects to the victim. Undergoing therapy for head and neck cancer in advanced stages (usually the third and fourth stages) can lead to several other complications (temporary or permanent) and can also lead to major disabilities in the victim.

Main Head and Neck Cancer Therapies 

Surgery is the most favored method for initial stages of head and neck cancer. It can be undergone in various forms and cause least side-effects to the victim in comparison to other forms of treatments. It also keeps chances of head and neck cancer recurrence to minimum and leads to better head and neck cancer survival rate. Wide local excision, laser surgery, local excision, and plastic surgery are the main surgical patterns executed. Wide local excision is useful to treat cancerous cells that are spread in wide areas (though limited only to local region of head and neck) while local excision is useful to treat infected cells spread only in a small portion. Laser therapy is useful to kill cancer cells by exposure to laser while plastic surgery is a kind of curative surgery useful to regain size or shape of a particular portion that may be altered due to surgery.  

Radiotherapy is executed in advanced stages where cancer cells can be best controlled by radiation exposure. Chemotherapy is useful to curb growth of infected cells by intake of medically recommended chemicals or direct chemical exposure. Immunotherapy is useful to cure tumors by strengthening overall immune system of the victim and making him more resistant to cancerous growth. One can also opt for laparoscopy (a kind of diagnostic surgery) and cryosurgery (killing tumors by passing them through liquid nitrogen).    
 

Basic head and neck cancer therapies cause less side-effects and post-treatment care process is also quite simple to follow. Healthy diet and active style of living are some of the major factors mandatory for early and proper cure of the disorder and enables optimum utilization of therapies undergone.