A former competitive swimmer, Dale Cosgrove always demanded the best from himself. When he was diagnosed with tongue cancer, he demanded the best medical care and found it at UW Medical Center. Read Dale's Story >

What Are Head and Neck Cancers?

Head and neck cancers include a number of different types of cancer that occur in the head and neck area above the collar bone. The most common cancers occur in the mouth and parts of the throat. Less common are cancers in the nasal passages, sinuses and the thyroid gland. Brain cancer is not considered a head and neck cancer, but some skin cancers that develop on the scalp, face, or neck are treated as head and neck cancers.

About 60,000 people are diagnosed with head and neck cancers (excluding superficial skin cancers) every year in the United States, and many of these cancers can be cured if caught early.

Most head and neck cancers are found in people over age 40. Men are two to three times more likely than women to have head and neck cancer, although rates in women have been rising along with their growing use of tobacco and alcohol.

Our Services

Patients at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) have access to the advanced care of the Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery Center at University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC) that attracts hundreds of new patients each year and performs complex reconstructions with great results. In 80 percent or more of the cases, the doctors can save a patient's larynx or voice box.

Every year, some 350 new head and neck cancer patients are evaluated at UWMC. A multidisciplinary Head and Neck Tumor Board, which includes head and neck surgeons, reconstructive surgeons, dental surgeons, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, neuroradiologists, and pathologists, meets weekly to discuss the cases and come up with the best treatment plan for each patient.

For a virtual tour of the SCCA clinic, click here.

For more information about head and neck cancer surgery, please call the Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery Center at (206) 598-4022. More information is on their Web site at www.uwENT-headneck.org.

In the News
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) and Northwest Hospital & Medical Center have announced that they will explore the development of a new, state-of-the-art cancer treatment facility offering proton beam radiation therapy. Click here to read more.

For more information about the SCCA's services, please call the Patient Intake Office at (206) 288-SCCA (7222).

January 2007