Head and neck cancer is a group of cancers that can start in the mouth, lips, nose, larynx, throat, salivary glands, or sinuses. Some common symptoms of cancer in the head and neck include:
- Growth or sore in the mouth that doesn't heal
- Sore throat that doesn't go away
- Hoarse voice or other voice changes that don't go away
- Trouble swallowing
Many symptoms depend on the type of head and neck cancer, where it starts, and if the cancer has spread. Other symptoms of these cancers are:
- Lump in the neck that doesn't hurt
- Lump or sore inside the nose or on the lip that doesn't heal
- Feeling like something is stuck in the throat
- Blocked sinuses or nasal congestion that won't clear
- Chronic sinus infections
- Coughing up blood or bleeding in the mouth
- Trouble opening your mouth, speaking, or breathing
- Pain when swallowing
- Pain in the ear, face, chin, neck, upper back, jaw, or upper teeth
- Frequent headaches or pain around the nose, cheeks, or forehead
- Frequent nosebleeds or ones that don't stop
- Weakness in the muscles of the face, jaw, and tongue
- Double vision or vision loss
- Numbness in the face
- Ringing in the ears or hearing problems
- Swelling of the eyes, under the chin, or around the jaw
- Bad breath even with good oral hygiene
- Red or white patches in the mouth
- Tooth pain or sore gums
- Loose teeth or dentures
- Jaw pain
- Unexplained weight loss