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Oropharyngeal Cancer
What is Oropharyngeal Cancer?
The oropharynx is the middle part of the pharynx (throat) behind the mouth. It is responsible for making saliva, keeping the mouth and throat moist, and helping digest the food you eat. The pharynx is a hollow tube that starts behind the nose and ends where the trachea (windpipe) and esophagus (tube from the throat to the stomach) start.
Oropharyngeal cancer is a type of head and neck cancer due to the location of the cancer. Oropharyngeal cancer is a type of cancer where malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissue of the oropharynx. More than 90% of oropharyngeal cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, which are cancers that arise from the flat surface cells that line your throat and mouth.
What are the Risk Factors of Oropharyngeal Cancer?
The most common risk factors for oropharyngeal cancer include the following:
- A history of smoking cigarettes for more than 10 pack years and other tobacco products.
- Heavy alcohol use.
- Being infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV), especially HPV type 16. The number of cases of oropharyngeal cancer that are linked to HPV infection has been increasing.
- Personal history of head and neck cancer.
What are the Symptoms of Oropharyngeal Cancer?
Often, oropharyngeal cancer is asymptomatic. Normally the first sign is a lump in the neck; however, other symptoms can include:
- Neck mass
- Difficulty or pain with swallowing
- Muffled voice
- Ear pain
- Throat pain or sore throat that does not go away
- Trouble opening your mouth fully or moving your tongue
- Lump in the back of your throat or mouth
- Coughing up blood
- White patch on your tongue or lining of your mouth that does not go away
How to Prevent Oropharyngeal Cancer?
There are preventive steps you can take to lower your risk of oropharyngeal cancer.
- Don’t start smoking. If you already smoke, quit. Tobacco can increase the risk of a second cancer in the mouth, throat, voice box, or lungs.
- Don’t drink alcohol regularly or heavily since alcohol can increase the risk of cancer, especially when combined with tobacco.
- Ask your doctor about the HPV vaccine since the vaccine can reduce the risk of oropharyngeal cancer. HPV vaccination recommendations are available at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/hpv/hcp/recommendations.html.
- Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet and exercise regularly.
- See your health care provider and dentist regularly.
Learn more about HPV at https://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/diseases-and-conditions/diseases-a-z-list/hpv.html.
Differences Between Oral and Oropharyngeal Cancer?
Oral and oropharyngeal cancer are two of the most common cancers that develop in the head and neck region, known as head and neck cancer; however, there is a critical difference between them.
Location
- Oral cancer occurs in the oral cavity, which includes the lips, lining of the lips and cheeks, upper and lower gums, and the mouth.
- Oropharyngeal cancer occurs in the oropharynx, where the oral cavity stops.