Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and is ranked third in the developed world (Parkin et al., 1999). The large majority (90%) of these cancers are of a similar type known as squamous cell carcinomas. They comprise 4% of all cancers in the United States and 5% in the United Kingdom. Central and eastern Europe currently show greater than double the incidence rates of either the UK or USA. An incidence of 10.2 lip, mouth and pharyngeal cancers per 100 000 population in the UK in 1996 was reported (2940 new cases) (Quin, 2001). Men contract the disease more than women in the ratio of approximately 3 to 1. About 50% will die of the disease.

Prognosis of small oral cancer lesions is better than large lesions. For instance, the median survival time of a patient with a lesion greater than 4 cm in diametre is 4 years less than a patient with a smaller lesion after controlling for age (Platz et al., 1986). The overall health of head and neck cancer patients tends to be worse than that of the general public (Funk et al., 1997). Recurrence rates for head and neck cancer are comparatively high and result in death for about 20% of patients. Approximately 40% have a relapse with further malignancy following initial treatment. Survival rates for head and neck cancer have hardly improved over the past 30 years (La Vecchia et al., 1997) although they are dependent on severity.