UI Health’s Post

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It's head and neck awareness month,���� and UI Health is raising awareness with�� free screenings throughout the month of���� April. Head and neck cancers account for�� nearly 4% of all the cancers in the US.�� Dr. Chen Linn joins us with more on the risk�� factors and what exactly we should be looking for. So as Sarah just said we had no idea there�� was even a headand neck awareness month so���� this must be a good place for you to�� start showing awareness and and hey���� this is a real issue can you talk more about�� just what are head and cancer specifically? Yeah, great question. So, head and neck�� cancers really include all cancers from���� the neck and the head region. The one�� couple areas that we don't cover are the���� brain and the spine but most head neck�� cancers involve cancer inside the mouth���� the throat the voice box and also cancers�� of the nose and sinuses are the majority. But in addition to that some of the other�� cancers that you don't hear about too often���� that we cover include salivary glands like�� pared and submandibular glands that make our���� saliva for our mouth as well as thyroid cancers�� and even skin cancers typically larger ones. So if you are somebody who's concerned about�� this as I I think everybody would be a little���� concerned when anytime you hear cancer what are�� the indicators of any types of these cancers? Absolutely so some of the most common symptoms�� you're going to find are inside the mouth so���� actually seeing some kind of ulcer that's not�� going away a mass or feeling like something���� growing in the mouth pain is one of the most�� common symptoms associated with cancers in the���� mouth, the throat, and voice box. And then�� a neck mass also a neck mass would usually���� indicate if this was cancer potentially�� spread of cancer into the lymph nodes. But some of the other symptoms that we'll�� commonly hear are changes with swallowing���� difficulty swallowing weight loss changes in your�� voice and even in extreme cases breathing issues���� but these are usually symptoms that�� evolve over many weeks even a few months. So what about the risk? Like if somebody's�� at home watching now and geez how do I know���� if I'm at risk for head or neck cancer what�� would you say yeah so the most common ones���� classically are tobacco use cigarette smoking�� a long history of that as well as heavy alcohol���� usage and then nowadays over the last 20�� years or so we've had a lot more awareness���� and understanding that there's a rising number�� of cases due to HPV, human papillaloma virus. Really?! Exactly so these specific type of virus-induced�� cancers will usually affect what's called the���� oropharynx or throat commonly so that's going�� to be the tonsils and also the very back of the���� tongue which is usually an area that you�� can't see just looking through the mouth. Interesting, and then how would it be�� diagnosed once you think you have a���� problem you come see the doctors at UI Health�� how is it actually diagnosed at that point? Yes, so a biopsy is the way to�� ultimately um diagnose these cancers���� and so that's something that we can typically do�� in the office a small little piece is taken to���� ultimately have that reviewed by a pathologist�� to have it diagnosed but as part of that exam. We obviously do a full head neck exam�� we're taking a look in the mouth we also���� have special equipment that actually allows�� us to look at the back of the throat and into���� the voice box the larynx and all of these�� together will help bring us to a diagnosis. And let's say you know in in particular�� for this um event that you have coming up���� let's say somebody you know�� you do an exam and you find���� somebody has something that's seems�� problematic how would you treat it? Yeah so, head and neck cancer is typically�� treated with a combination of surgery,���� radiation, and chemotherapy or newer age�� drugs immunotherapy. So classically the���� treatments are either surgery upfront�� or radiation and chemotherapy upfront. Here UI Health as well as many�� academic centers we have a very���� large multi-disciplinary team that involves the�� oncologic surgeons, the reconstructive surgeons,���� as well as many other important doctors including�� the radiation oncologist, medical oncologist,���� and additional treatment members to help focus�� on the quality of life for these patients too. And if anyone's concerned they can come see you�� very easy free screening coming up in April? Exactly so we'll be happy to see anybody And you said it's quick, it doesn't take long? No it'll be done in probably 1�� minute a quick view through the mouth Beautiful. Well, Dr Chin, thank you so much.�� We appreciate it. For more information,���� scan that QR code right there on your�� screen, or you can head to ENT.UIHealth.Care You can also find them on�� Facebook and Instagram for���� more information good information all right thanks