East Kent Hospitals provides diagnosis, treatment and care services for head, neck and Thyroid cancer. This is done by our specialist ear, nose and throat (ENT) department who are based across all three main sites - Kent and Canterbury Hospital in Canterbury, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, and William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.
There are more than 30 areas within the head and neck where cancer can develop, including the:
- mouth and lips
- voice box (larynx)
- throat (pharynx)
- salivary glands
- nose and sinuses
- area at the back of the nose and mouth (nasopharynx)
Thyroid cancer consists of four main types
- papillary carcinoma
- follicular carcinoma
- medullary thyroid carcinoma
- anaplastic thyroid carcinoma
Treatment options vary depending on the size, location and stage of the cancer but generally include radiotherapy or surgery, or a combination of both.
If radiotherapy is suggested as the best treatment this may involve some chemotherapy, either before or during the radiotherapy.
