As the year-end and New Year holidays approach, more attention is being paid to head and neck cancer, whose incidence increases due to drinking and smoking. Head and neck cancer refers to all types of malignant tumors that occur in the upper respiratory tract and digestive tract, including the mouth, pharynx, and larynx. Head and neck cancer affects many aspects of daily life, including eating, speaking, and breathing.
The number of such head and neck cancer patients is also on the rise in Korea. According to the ‘2020 National Cancer Registration Project Annual Report’, the number of patients newly diagnosed with head and neck cancer in 2020 is 5,666, which is a 12% increase compared to 2016. Research has shown that the incidence of head and neck cancer increases by more than 35 times when drinking and smoking occur together. → See graph
Park Il-seok, professor of otolaryngology at Hallym University Dong Elastic Heart Hospital, said, “Smokers have an incidence of oral cancer that is approximately twice as high for men and approximately three times higher for women than non-smokers.” He also added, “Even if you have a history of drinking, the incidence of oral cancer is 1.7 times higher, and the more you drink, the higher the incidence of oral cancer is.” “Also, the higher the alcohol content you drink, the higher your risk becomes.”
Male smokers are twice as likely… Oral cancer is three times higher in women
Over 50s, beware of foreign body sensation and voice changes
Experts advise that diagnosis and treatment are important because head and neck cancer has a high cure rate when discovered early. If ulcers or lumps visible in the mouth or tongue are observed, oral cancer or tongue cancer may be suspected. Also, if a foreign body sensation, voice change, or hoarseness occurs, laryngeal cancer should be suspected. In particular, if these symptoms suddenly occur in smokers over 50, they must undergo an otolaryngological examination.
Head and neck cancer has the characteristic of metastasizing to lymph nodes around the neck, so if a round, palpable lump is found in the neck, an otolaryngological examination should be performed even if there are no such symptoms.
Professor Park said, “Head and neck cancer treatment involves surgery to remove the cancer while preserving normal organs as much as possible, followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy depending on the progress of the cancer.” He added, “Recently, robotic surgery has been used to treat the inside of the mouth, armpits, etc. “We minimize scars by performing surgery through a small incision behind the ear,” he said.
/Reporter Gu Min-ju kumj@kyeongin.com
2023-11-14 09:54:26
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