Oropharyngeal cancer is a type of head and neck cancer in which cancer cells are found within an area of the throat called your oropharynx. The oropharynx is the middle part of the pharynx (throat) behind the mouth. It is the part of the throat directly behind the mouth and includes the tonsils, base of the tongue, soft palate and posterior pharyngeal wall.
Over 90% of oropharyngeal cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, which are cancers arising from the flat surface cells lining the mouth and throat.
