Screenings for head and neck cancer are already part of your routine care. Your annual physician visit and dental cleaning both include steps specifically designed to detect early signs of these cancers. They are so simple and quick you may not have realized what they were checking you at all.
Simple Screenings You May Already Be Getting
A head and neck cancer screening has two components: a visual exam and a physical exam. When your physician looks inside your mouth and throat and feels along your neck, that is a head and neck cancer screening.
Your dentist performs a similar check at every cleaning, examining your mouth, under your tongue, and along your jaw. Because head and neck tumors can often be seen or felt, these routine exams can catch cancer early when it is most treatable.
HPV Screening for Head and Neck Cancer
While HPV-related cervical cancer has a dedicated screening, there currently isn’t a HPV screening test for head and neck cancer. This makes annual exams with your physician and dentist even more important.
Early detection dramatically improves outcomes for head and neck cancer. Going to your doctor and dentist at least once a year is the most reliable way to catch any changes early.
If you have elevated risk factors like smoking history, heavy alcohol use, no HPV vaccination, or prior head and neck radiation, tell your physician. Knowing your history allows them to monitor you more closely and catch any changes as early as possible.