Statistics indicate that smokers are up to 25 times more likely to develop a cancer of the throat than their non-smoking counterparts. However, passive smoking, tobacco chewing, and cigar smoking are also risk factors. Another risk factor is excessive use of alcohol and infection with HPV, a virus also linked with cervical cancer in the women.
Throat cancer or squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil is a part of cancers of the head and neck. In oncology, squamous cell cancers of the head and neck are often considered together because they share many similarities — in incidence, cancer type, predisposing factors, pathological features, treatment of the cancer and cancer prognosis. Up to 30% of cancer patients with one primary head and neck tumour will have a second primary malignancy.
Ways in which one can diagnose and prevent the onset of cancer.