Head and neck cancer accounts for approximately 2% of all cancers reported in Australia, with over 4000 new cases diagnosed each year. The diagnostic group of ‘head and neck cancer’ encompasses tumours inside the sinuses, nose, mouth, salivary glands and the throat. It is often categorised into three main types, according to site of origin: tongue, lip and laryngeal cancer. This talk will focus on head and neck cancers of the oral cavity and oropharynx region. Approximately 75% of these head and neck cancers are attributed to substance abuse, with an increasing incidence attributed to the human papilloma virus (HPV), which is a sexually transmitted disease.
Cancer of the head and neck is a confronting condition, as the disease and its multimodality treatments alter the appearance and function of organs of the body associated with a person’s physical appearance, their identity, and their ability to obtain nutrition. They can also adversely affect a person’s ability to engage with the important social rituals associated with eating and drinking. Head and neck cancer patients can therefore have significant physical and psychosocial needs especially related to the effects of stigma. The particular stressors associated with both their principal diagnosis and the side effects of treatment include body image concerns, loss of speech, and respiratory and nutritional alterations, which can challenge self-esteem and percolate into many aspects of everyday life. In addition, head and neck cancers caused by smoking, drinking alcohol and HPV can have negative social and moral permutations. These relationships to what are perceived as physical and behavioural deviances mean that head and neck cancer patients can be at risk of both enacted and felt stigma. As a cancer community this is something we need to address.