Gingival cancers occur most commonly (80%) in the lower gingiva posterior to the bicuspids. For both sites, trismus is an ominous sign indicating extension to masseter or pterygoid muscles. Clinical staging…

Cancers arising in the retromolar trigone (the narrow band of mucosa that lies behind the mandibular molars and covers the ascending ramus) are rarely confined to that gingiva, but involve adjacent buccal mucosa,…

Floor of mouth cancers occur with a frequency similar to that for tongue cancer. Early spread to adjacent areas (gingiva and periosteum of the mandible) is common. The periosteum is a natural…

Cancers of the tonsil tend to be superficial, better differentiated, and of an earlier stage than other oropharyngeal tumors. The treatment of early tonsillar neoplasms (stages I and II) is usually radiation…

General Principals

After a histologic diagnosis has been established and tumor extent determined, the selection of appropriate treatment for a specific cancer depends on a complex array of variables, including tumor site,…

The identification and appropriate management of premalignant mucosal lesions in the head and neck are important aspects of patient management that have major impact on overall survival rates. Since stage…

Tongue cancers account for over 25% of oral cavity SCCs and most commonly arise in the oral portion or anterior two-thirds of the tongue on the lateral edge or ventral surface. Infiltration of the…

Introduction
The term “cancer of the head and neck” describes a diverse collection of cancers of varying histologies arising from a variety of anatomic sites that make up the UADT. This…

Slaughter’s classic 1953 report on oral cancer proposed that UADT carcinogenesis is a process of “field cancerization” - the repeated exposure of a region’s entire tissue area to carcinogenic insult…

Anatomic considerations in the treatment of cancers of the head and neck must include a thorough understanding of the neural, vascular, and (especially) lymphatic structures of the neck. Detailed anatomic studies have described the organization…

Tobacco Tobacco initiates a linear dose-response carcinogenic effect in which duration is more important than the intensity of exposure. The major carcinogenic activity of cigarette smoke resides in the particulate (tar)…

Introduction