Soft Palate Cancer

Overview

The soft palate is the soft muscular part of the roof of your mouth, behind your teeth. This area is part of the oropharynx, which also includes the back of your tongue and the walls of your throat. Soft palate cancer often develops from the cells that line the surface of the mouth and throat (squamous cells).

Smoking cigarettes and drinking large quantities of alcohol can increase your risk of developing soft palate cancer. Head and neck cancers, which include soft palate cancer, make up less than 5 percent of cancers in the United States.

Why choose Mayo Clinic for soft palate cancer

• Expertise. Mayo Clinic has one of the largest, most comprehensive cancer diagnosis and treatment programs in the world. Mayo Clinic head and neck surgery doctors evaluate and treat more than 600 head and neck cancer patients each year and use their experience to provide the most effective treatment.
• A team of specialists. At Mayo Clinic, people with soft palate cancer receive coordinated care from an experienced team of doctors and health care professionals committed to providing comprehensive diagnoses, treatments and detailed answers.
• Advanced technology. Mayo uses the latest advances in high-resolution imaging studies to diagnose soft palate cancer and the latest treatments to maintain the function of the soft palate.
• Comprehensive cancer center. Mayo Clinic Cancer Center meets strict standards for a National Cancer Institute comprehensive cancer center, recognizing scientific excellence and a multidisciplinary approach focused on cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and in Jacksonville, Fla., are ranked among the Best Hospitals for cancer by U.S. News & World Report.

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