ABSTRACT

Head and neck cancer encompasses a wide range of malignant tumours arising from many diverse and complex structures in this region of the body, and which have major physiological and aesthetic importance. The incidence of these tumours varies considerably around the world and hence their impact on public health. In the United Kingdom and in America head and neck cancer is one of the more uncommon group of malignancies, constituting 5-10% of all tumours but in other countries such as the Indian subcontinent they account for up to 45% of all malignancies (Table 1.1).