Head and Neck Cancer Flashcards
What to test for when biopsying a lesion/node in head and neck cancers
p16 testing
(if positive = HPV caused cancer)
Side effects of cisplatin treatment
- Kidney injury (give fluids)
- Hearing loss
When examining a patient for head and neck cancer, how to differentiate between leukoplakia and candidiasis?
Leukoplakia:
- only in mouth
- cannot be scraped off
Candidiasis:
- mouth and throat
- can be scraped off
Most common gene mutation in head and neck cancers
TP53
Two biggest risk factors for head and neck cancers
- HPV
- Smoking
(also: alcohol, marijuana, occupational, salted fish/foods, EBV)
Head and neck cancers are most common in this gender and age
Men aged 40-60
Two complications of chemotherapy in head and neck cancers
- Mouth sores (give magic mouthwash)
- Diarrhea
Is a patient with leukoplakia or erythroplakia at higher risk of head and neck malignancy?
Erythroplakia has a higher risk of malignancy (50%)
(only 17.5% in leukoplakia)
It’s important to ask how long a head/neck mass has been present and how quickly it’s growing to rule out this extremely fast growing cancer that can double in size in two days and is a surgical emergency
BURKITT lymphoma
The vast majority of salivary gland tumors arise in this gland
Parotid gland
Radiation complication in head and neck cancers
Esophagitis
Most common symptoms of nasopharyngeal cancer
- Epistaxis
- Headache
- Neck mass
- Serous otitis media
- nasal obstruction
Almost all head and neck cancers are this type of cancer
Squamous cell carcinoma (90-95%)
Initial imaging tests for diagnosis of head and neck cancers
CT/MRI
(then CT NCAP/neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis to rule out metastasis)
Which head and neck cancer, nasopharyngeal, oral cavity/larynx, or salivary gland, is most common in the US?
Oral cavity/larynx cancer
