When presenting summary cancer statistics, sometimes the oral cavity and pharynx are linked together. (See Oral Cavity and Pharynx in the SEER Cancer Stat Facts).
- The oral cavity is separate from the:
- oropharynx, which includes the tongue base, tonsils, soft palate and the associated throat mucosa; and
- nasopharynx, which includes the adenoid lymphoid tissue, the mucosa of the back of the nose, and the nasal side of the soft palate; and
- hypopharynx, which includes the low, lateral and posterior walls of the throat (below where the naked eye can see when looking into a person’s open mouth).