Head and Neck Cancer

Introduction This chapter covers primary head and neck cancer, excluding neoplasms of the

skin. Ninety percent of these tumors are squamous cell in origin and tend to affect elderly men. Most have a history of alcoholism and tobacco abuse. Tumors of the salivary, thyroid and parathyroid glands are not o f the squamous cell type and can be found in a wider age distribution. Thyroid and parathyroid tumors are not usually treated by the plastic surgeon.