Head and Neck Cancer

Head and neck cancers are a broad category of cancers that occur in the head and neck region.

Some common types of head and neck cancers include: throat cancer, which forms in the throat, the muscular tube through which we swallow, or the voice box, which sits just below the throat and contains the vocal cords that allow us to speak; oral cancer, a type of cancer that forms in the oral cavity, which includes the lips, gums, tongue, cheeks, roof, or floor of the mouth; and spinal tumors, which are abnormal growths in or along the spinal column, including the vertebrae, spinal cord, and surrounding tissues.

Doctors in the GW Cancer Center’s Gastrointestinal Cancer Program may treat head and neck cancers using immunotherapy, minimally invasive robotic surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, depending on the type and location of the cancer.