The short answer
Head and neck cancers are grouped by where they start: the mouth, throat, voice box, sinuses and nasal cavity, or salivary glands. Most are squamous cell carcinomas. Oropharyngeal cancer is further split into HPV-positive and HPV-negative types, which behave differently.
Head and neck cancers usually begin in squamous cells lining the mouth, throat, and voice box.
The throat (pharynx) has three parts, and cancer location within it matters.
Oropharyngeal cancer splits into HPV-positive and HPV-negative types with different outlooks.
Salivary gland cancers are less common than squamous cell cancers of the head and neck.
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The simple version
Head and neck cancer is not one disease. It is a group of cancers named for where they start. Head and neck cancers usually begin in squamous cells, the flat cells lining the moist surfaces of the mouth, throat, and voice box. Knowing the exact location and cell type helps guide your treatment.
Where head and neck cancers form
- Oral cavity (mouth). Includes the lips, tongue, gums, the lining inside the cheeks, the floor of the mouth, and the roof of the mouth.
- Pharynx (throat). A tube about 5 inches long with three parts: the nasopharynx (behind the nose), the oropharynx (including the tonsils and base of the tongue), and the hypopharynx (the lower part, just above the esophagus).
- Larynx (voice box). Contains the vocal cords and sits just below the pharynx.
- Paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity. The small hollow spaces around the nose and the nasal passage itself.
- Salivary glands. Glands that produce saliva, found near the jaw and throughout the mouth and throat lining.
In short: location matters, so ask your team exactly where your cancer started.
Why the HPV split matters for oropharyngeal cancer
Cancer of the oropharynx is now understood as two related but distinct diseases:
- HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer. Linked to infection with cancer-causing HPV types, especially HPV-16. NCI says tumors related to HPV have a better prognosis and are less likely to recur.
- HPV-negative oropharyngeal cancer. Not linked to HPV. It is staged using a different system (stages 0 through IV, compared with I through IV for HPV-positive).
Testing a tumor for HPV is now a standard part of diagnosing oropharyngeal cancer, because NCI says HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer has a better prognosis and is treated differently.
Squamous cell carcinoma vs. other cell types
Head and neck cancers usually begin in squamous cells. NCI says less common types start in the salivary glands, sinuses, or the muscles or nerves of the head and neck. Ask your team about the exact type of your cancer.
Why it matters
For oropharyngeal cancer, NCI lists surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy as treatments, chosen by stage, HPV status and overall health. Ask your care team to walk you through exactly where your cancer started and what type it is.
Sources
- National Cancer Institute, Head and Neck Cancers
- National Cancer Institute, Oropharyngeal Cancer Treatment (PDQ)
Common questions
What is the most common type of head and neck cancer?
NCI says head and neck cancers usually begin in squamous cells. These are squamous cell carcinomas, which start in the flat cells lining the moist surfaces of the mouth, throat, and voice box.
Why does it matter which part of the throat is involved?
The throat, or pharynx, has three parts: the nasopharynx, oropharynx, and hypopharynx. NCI publishes separate information for different locations, so identifying the exact location matters.
What is the difference between HPV-positive and HPV-negative oropharyngeal cancer?
HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer is linked to HPV infection. NCI says these tumors have a better prognosis and are less likely to recur than tumors not linked to HPV, and that HPV-positive cancer is treated differently.
Are salivary gland cancers different from other head and neck cancers?
NCI says head and neck cancers usually begin in squamous cells, and that cancers of the salivary glands are less common. Ask your team what type of cell your cancer started in.
Does the type of head and neck cancer change my treatment?
For oropharyngeal cancer, NCI says treatment depends on the stage, HPV status, preserving function and overall health. Options include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Ask your team how your cancer type affects your options.
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Last updated: 2026-10-16Next planned review: 2027-08-03
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Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes, and this is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and then compared with the sources listed on it, looking for statements those sources do not back up. That check is not a sentence-by-sentence record and can miss errors. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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