![]() ![]() ![]() Soft palate cancer is considered a type of throat cancer. Soft palate cancer begins in the cells of the soft palate, which is located on the upper portion of the back of your mouth, behind your teeth. While it's not clear what causes tonsil cancer, health care professionals are finding that HPV is detected in most tonsil cancers in the U.S. Tonsil cancer often is diagnosed late in the disease, when cancer has spread to nearby areas, such as the lymph nodes in the neck. Your tonsils are two oval-shaped pads in the back of your mouth that are part of your body's germ-fighting immune system. Tonsil cancer is an abnormal growth of cells that forms in a tonsil. The most common head and neck cancers include: However, there has been an increase in throat cancer in recent years in people who do not smoke or drink.ĭata from the American Cancer Society indicates the cause is due to HPV, a sexually transmitted infection that is thought to affect almost 80% of all adults at some point in their lives. These cancers are more than twice as common among men as women and are diagnosed more often among people over 50.Īlcohol and tobacco use, including chewing tobacco, are among the top causes of head and neck cancer, especially cancer of the mouth, pharynx and voice box. Head and neck cancers account for nearly 4% of all cancers in the U.S., according to the National Cancer Institute. I'm in my mid-40s and try to be mindful of getting an annual physical.ĪNSWER: There are many types of head and neck cancers, which is a broad category used to describe any cancer that starts in the head or neck, including the mouth, nose and throat. It got me wondering about the incidence of head and neck cancer and what I should be screened for. DEAR MAYO CLINIC: A co-worker recently was diagnosed with oral cancer after a nagging cough led him to the doctor.
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