What are the symptoms of head and neck cancer?
The symptoms of head and neck cancer vary.
Many of the cancers found in the head and neck produce a lump or a sore that doesn’t
heal, a persistent sore throat, problems with swallowing, or a change in the voice.
But besides these, symptoms depend on where the cancer is found. Common head and
neck cancer symptoms include:
- Mouth: A white or a red patch on the gums, tongue, or the lining
of the mouth; a swollen jaw, bleeding or pain in the mouth
- Nose and sinuses: Clogged sinuses that won’t clear up, chronic
sinus infections that don’t respond to antibiotics, nose bleeds, headaches, swollen
eyes, pain in the upper teeth
- Salivary glands: Swollen jaw or chin, numbness or paralysis of
the face, pain that won’t go away in the face, chin, or neck
- Throat (pharynx): Ear pain, problems breathing or speaking, frequent
headaches, pain or ringing in the ears, trouble hearing
- Voice box (larynx): Pain when swallowing, ear pain
- Metastatic squamous neck cancer: Pain in the neck or throat that
does not go away
These symptoms may or may not be caused by cancer, so it’s important to check with
your healthcare team when you experience them.
Find out about screening and early
detection