Head and Neck cancers include cancers of Oral Cavity, Nasal Cavity, Larynx (Voice cord), Nasopharynx and Hypopharynx. it does not include Brain Cancers as it is a different category. In India, Oral cavity / mouth cancers have highest incidences in the world. According to Globocan 2018. 1,60,000 new cases of Head and Neck cancers are found out of which 1,25,000 are that of Oral Cavity. Such high numbers of Oral cavity / mouth cancers can be attributed to rampant Tobacco habits in India. Tobacco in any form in consumed persistently can lead to head and neck cancer. It is among very critical cancer types which usually have poor outcomes as we deal with close structures in the head and neck region and there is always a chance to harm nearest organ while treating cancer of one organ. We recommend coming out of tobacco habit, to people so that the risk of head and neck cancer can be minimized a great deal.

Cancer surgery and radiation therapy by and large remains main modality of treatment in head and neck and oral cancers. Chemotherapy is only used in specific cases. Gone are the days when we had to compromise cancerous organs while doing surgery which used to lead to loss of function. E.g. removal of tongue in case of tongue cancer can lead to lost of digestion. This earlier used to impact quality of life of patients with head and neck cancers.With the advancement of science, these days, preservation of organs using different treatments (Organ preservation Protocols) together along with surgery is possible. Organ preservation protocol in head and neck cancer is a blessing to patients. E.g. a procedure of removal of jaw bone with reconstruction using bone from leg which is cosmetically near normal and patient can bite, eat from that part. This is more possible in early stage of head and neck cancers therefore, identifying cancer in early stages is extremely important.

Most visible precancerous signs of oral cavity cancers are red (erythroplakia) and white patches (leucoplakia) in the mouth. If ignored can turn into cancers of mouth. If they are removed surgically in time can help prevent cancer.

Dr. Nilesh Chordiya has a rich experience of doing surgeries of head and neck, especially oral cavity cancers with over 3000 successful cases of oral cancers to his credit. Dr. Chordiya was trained in Head and Neck Cancer unit in Tata Memorial Hospital for a significantly long time. He has extensively worked in Thane and surrounding regions beyond Thane like Ghodbunder, Dombivali, Kalyan, Airoli etc.

In order to prevent head and neck cancers, leaving tobacco habit is highly recommended worldwide.