SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – What comes to mind when you think of head and neck cancers? An Ochsner LSU Health doctor specializing in treating these cancers walks us through everything you need to know.
Dr. Lindsey Olinde explained that head and neck cancers are a big group of cancers that can affect anything from the lips, tongue, back of the throat, and voice box. Also included are skin cancers that affect the head and neck, as well as thyroid cancer. Head and neck cancers share a common risk factor with other cancers.
“The biggest risk factor for head and neck cancers is smoking. So I would say 70 – 80 percent of our cancers are due to tobacco smoking,” Dr. Olinde said. “Active smokers do have like four times the risk of someone who doesn’t smoke.”
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Although many people think of lung cancer as it relates to smoking, Dr. Olinde said that if you think about the process of smoking before your lungs are affected, the cigarette and all its toxic components touch your lips, can affect your tongue, the back of the throat, and can even contribute to skin cancer risk…