What is cancer of the oropharynx : Diagnosed , Symptoms and Treatment
What is cancer of the oropharynx? Cancer of the region of the oropharynx includes the soft palate, tonsil, walls of the pharynx, and back third of the tongue. The most common site for this cancer is on the tonsil . Oropharyngeal epithelial cell carcinoma refers to cancer of the tonsils, the bottom and posterior third of the tongue, the taste bud , and therefore the posterior and lateral pharynx. epithelial cell carcinoma comprises quite 95% of oropharyngeal carcinoma. Tobacco and alcohol are important risk factors, but human papillomavirus (HPV) today causes most of those tumors. Symptoms include pharyngitis and painful and / or difficult swallowing. Treatment is with radiation, chemotherapy , or both, but primary surgery is becoming more common. The survival rate is far higher in HPV-positive patients. As with most head and neck cancers, non-HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer is more common in older men with a mean age of 61 years. Tobacco and alcohol remain the main risk facto...