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What Is the Treatment for Neck Tumors?

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Neck tumors can be treated with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Treatments can be curative or palliative, depending on the nature of the growth and the stage, and the prognosis can involve a number of factors. Younger patients with cancers caught earlier tend to be more likely to survive neck tumors, especially if they don’t have other medical conditions. The more advanced the tumor, the harder it is to treat effectively, and the lower the chance of survival.

The first step in treatment for neck tumors is a thorough assessment of the patient. This can include medical imaging studies, biopsy, blood testing, and a physical examination. Testing determines the exact nature of the tumor and allows a pathologist to grade it, which can provide important information about what kinds of treatment the patient might respond to. It also helps a medical provider develop a prognosis for the patient.

Radiotherapy, such as with a linear accelerator, might be used to help treat malignant neck tumors.
Radiotherapy, such as with a linear accelerator, might be used to help treat malignant neck tumors.

Ideally, surgery is one of the treatment options for neck tumors. In surgery, the goal may be to completely resect the tumor, taking the entire growth out along with neighboring lymph nodes that might be involved. Other surgeries may debulk the tumor to remove part of the growth if delicate structures in the neck make a full resection impossible or ill-advised.

A thorough assessment is the first step in treating neck tumors.
A thorough assessment is the first step in treating neck tumors.

Patients may also receive radiotherapy instead of or in addition to surgery. This targets cancer cells, killing them and preventing the spread of the growth. It can also cause side effects like oral lesions, throat swelling, and difficulty swallowing. Another potential risk of radiation is the increased chance of cancer associated with repeat radiation exposure. The dose is tightly controlled to limit exposure, but the patient may need periodic evaluations to look for new cancers or recurrence of the original tumor.

Treatment for neck cancer can either be curative or palliative.
Treatment for neck cancer can either be curative or palliative.

Chemotherapy can be combined with one or both of the above options for the treatment of neck tumors. These medications may target cell proliferation to halt tumor cells in their tracks and shrink the growth. They can also come with side effects like nausea, fatigue, and diarrhea that may make treatment difficult or unpleasant for the patient. The benefits typically outweigh these risks and make them acceptable.

In curative treatment for neck tumors, the goal is to completely eradicate the tumor and put the patient in remission. Other therapies control the cancer to slow its growth or make it less destructive when it cannot be cured. Patients with terminal cancers may consider palliative care to reduce pain and suffering, in combination with pain management medications to increase patient comfort.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGEEK researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGEEK researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

Rotergirl

I guess it's all in how early you catch it. I think I'd want every treatment available if I thought it was curable, but if not, I'd just say leave it alone, keep me pain free and I'll live my life the best way I can until it's time to go. Quality of life really diminishes when you have part of your throat or jaw removed. I think about Roger Ebert, the film critic. He had very little quality left when he died.

I hope one day there are better treatments for cancer that don't leave a patient sicker than when they start, and that actually cure the disease, or at least arrest it in the long term.

Pippinwhite

A friend's husband had a throat tumor. He'd had symptoms, like a cough and sore throat for months, but he wouldn't go to the doctor. By the time his wife convinced him to go, there was a visible lump on his neck. He was diagnosed with stage IV cancer.

He opted for no treatment except palliative care. He said he didn't want to go through chemotherapy for it because it would make him so sick and he wouldn't get much extra time, anyway.

The doctor gave him about nine weeks, but he lived for seven months after he was diagnosed, and had good quality of life for about five months. They were able to manage his pain, and he died at home.

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    • Radiotherapy, such as with a linear accelerator, might be used to help treat malignant neck tumors.
      By: Alex Tihonov
      Radiotherapy, such as with a linear accelerator, might be used to help treat malignant neck tumors.
    • A thorough assessment is the first step in treating neck tumors.
      By: Photographee.eu
      A thorough assessment is the first step in treating neck tumors.
    • Treatment for neck cancer can either be curative or palliative.
      By: Max Tactic
      Treatment for neck cancer can either be curative or palliative.