Symptoms of Head and Neck Cancer

Head and neck cancer is cancer anywhere in the head or neck region.

Head and neck cancer is the 7th most common cancer worldwide.

Men and people who smoke are more likely to get head and neck cancer, but it is also seen in women and never smokers.

The most common symptoms of head and neck cancer are pain or a new mass in the mouth or throat or a neck mass.

Symptoms may vary depending on where the cancer is.

Mouth cancer

Patches inside your mouth that can’t be scraped away

Sores on your lips or in your mouth that bleed easily and last 2+ weeks

Rough or crusty spots on your lips or inside your mouth

Bleeding in your mouth for no reason

Pain, tenderness or numbness in your mouth or on your face and neck

Trouble moving your jaw or tongue

Trouble opening your mouth

Problems chewing, swallowing or speaking

Chronic bad breath

Ear pain

Throat cancer

Sore throat that doesn’t go away

Pain or difficulty when swallowing

Voice changes that don’t go away

Hoarseness

Lump in the back of your throat

Feeling like something is caught in your throat

Unexplained choking

Neck mass

Nose cancer

Stuffy nose

Nosebleeds

Facial pain/numbness

Trouble breathing/noisy breathing or speaking

Headaches

Hearing loss

Feeling of fullness in your ears

Trouble opening your mouth

Ear infections that won’t go away

General symptoms

Lump in the back of your neck

Unexplained weight loss

Coughing up blood

Swollen lymph nodes in your neck

Fatigue

Swelling in your jaw, neck or side of your face

Frequent sinus infections that don’t go away with antibiotics

Ear pain

Progressive headaches that don’t get better

Typically, symptoms that are related to cancer worsen over time.

If you’re having these symptoms or want to learn more about head and neck cancer, talk to your healthcare provider.

This educational resource was created with support from Daiichi Sankyo and Merck.