Head and Neck Oncology

Our Head and Neck Unit in Dubai brings your care together under one team, so you don't move between separate clinics. In Abu Dhabi, head and neck oncology sits within our surgical oncology work. Every new diagnosis goes to a tumour board, where specialists review the same information together.

What is head and neck oncology?

Head and neck oncology deals with cancers that start in the mouth, the throat, the voice box or the salivary glands, among other sites. The same team stays involved long after treatment ends, because follow-up runs for years. Tobacco, alcohol, and paan (betel quid or areca nut) account for most cases, while HPV raises the risk of throat cancer. Ear, nose and throat care covers the same region, and head and neck oncology is the cancer side of that care.

When should you see a head and neck specialist?

Book an appointment if you notice:

• A mouth ulcer that has not healed after three weeks
• A lump in your neck that does not go away
• A hoarse voice or any voice change lasting more than three weeks
• Pain or difficulty when you swallow
• A red or white patch inside your mouth
• Oral bleeding (saliva with blood)

Severe difficulty breathing is an emergency: seek emergency care immediately.

Most of these signs turn out to have another cause, and a doctor or dentist can tell you which. There's no routine screening test for these cancers, though a dentist may check your mouth during a regular appointment.

What to expect

A first appointment starts with questions about what you have noticed and how long it's been there. The doctor examines your mouth and neck, then looks further down with a thin flexible camera through the nose. What happens after that depends on what the examination shows. For a lump in the neck, that usually means an ultrasound scan and a fine needle sample at the same visit, so the first work-up often takes one appointment.

Treatment depends on where the cancer is and how far it has grown. The main options are surgery, radiotherapy and cancer medicines, on their own or together. Because this area controls speaking, swallowing and eating, treatment can affect how you talk, eat or look, and recovery from those changes takes time and support. Speech therapists and dietitians work alongside your medical team, who explain each option before you decide together.

Head and neck oncology at Mediclinic

Across our Dubai hospitals, the Head and Neck Unit puts your care in the hands of one team. Ear, nose and throat consultants and head and neck surgeons share the care, with speech therapists and dietitians part of the unit from the start. A neck lump service gives people a direct route in, and our plastic surgeons rebuild affected areas after major surgery.

The tumour board that reviews each case brings together radiologists, pathologists, specialist nurses and the surgeons treating you. For radiotherapy, you come to our cancer centre in Dubai, which plans and delivers it. Chemotherapy, targeted medicines and immunotherapy come from our medical oncologists, and you won't always need to stay overnight for it.