Head and neck cancers
Life after treatment for head and neck cancers
Life doesn't automatically go back to what it was like before cancer once the treatment stops. Learn how to live well after cancer, including with the emotional impact of cancer on yourself and your relationships, follow-up care and managing side effects.
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Sources and references 
For most people, the cancer experience doesn’t end on the last day of treatment. Life after cancer treatment can present its own challenges. You may have mixed feelings when treatment ends, and worry that every ache and pain means the cancer is coming back.
Some people say that they feel pressure to return to “normal life”. It is important to allow yourself time to adjust to the physical and emotional changes, and establish a new daily routine at your own pace. Your family and friends may also need time to adjust.
Cancer Council 13 11 20 can help you connect with other people who have had head and neck cancer, and provide you with information about the emotional and practical aspects of living well after cancer.
Dealing with feelings of sadness
If you have continued feelings of sadness, have trouble getting up in the morning or have lost motivation to do things that previously gave you pleasure, you may be experiencing depression. This is quite common among people who have had cancer.
Talk to your GP, because counselling or medication – even for a short time – may help. Some people can get a Medicare rebate for sessions with a psychologist. Cancer Council may also run a counselling program in your area.
For information about coping with depression and anxiety, call Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or visit the Beyond Blue website. For 24-hour crisis support, call Lifeline 13 11 14 or visit the Lifeline website.
Follow-up appointments
After treatment ends, you will have regular appointments to monitor your health, manage any long-term side effects and check that the cancer hasn’t come back or spread. During these check-ups, you may have blood tests and imaging scans, as well as physical and visual examinations of your head and neck. You will also be able to discuss how you’re feeling and any other concerns. You will receive continued support from a speech pathologist, dietitian, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, psychologist and social worker if you need it. You may also be asked to see your dentist regularly. This support may be outlined in what’s called a survivorship plan.
When a follow-up appointment or test is approaching, many people find that they think more about the cancer and may feel anxious. Talk to your treatment team or call Cancer Council 13 11 20 if you are finding it hard to manage this anxiety. You will usually continue to have check-ups for 5 years, but they will become less frequent if you have no further problems. Between follow-up appointments, let your doctor know immediately of any symptoms or health problems.
What if the cancer returns?
For some people, head and neck cancer does come back after treatment, which is known as a recurrence. Sometimes this will be another cancer of the head and neck, but it can also be the original cancer that has spread to another part of the body. This is why it’s important to have check-ups.
If the cancer comes back, it’s important that you are reviewed by an experienced multidisciplinary team. Treatment options will vary depending on your previous treatments. Surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy may be options.
Sources and references
This edition has been developed by Cancer Council NSW on behalf of all other state and territory Cancer Councils as part of a National Cancer Information Subcommittee initiative.
We thank the reviewers of this booklet: Dr Malinda Itchins, Thoracic Medical Oncologist, Royal North Shore Hospital and Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, NSW; Dr Cynleen Kai, Radiation Oncologist, GenesisCare, VIC; Dr Naveed Alam, Thoracic Surgeon, St Vincent’s Hospital, Epworth Richmond, and Monash Medical Centre, VIC; Helen Benny, Consumer; Dr Rachael Dodd, Senior Research Fellow, The Daffodil Centre, NSW; Kim Greco, Specialist head and neck cancers Nurse Consultant, Flinders Medical Centre, SA; Caitriona Nienaber, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council WA; Marco Salvador, Consumer; Janene Shelton, xxx Foundation Australia – Specialist head and neck cancers Nurse, Darling Downs Health, QLD; Prof Emily Stone, Respiratory Physician, Department of Thoracic Medicine and xxx Transplantation, St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney, NSW; A/Prof Marianne Weber, Stream Lead, head and neck cancers Policy and Evaluation, The Daffodil Centre, NSW.
We would also like to thank the health professionals, consumers and editorial teams who have worked on previous editions of this title.
References
- National Comprehensive Cancer Network (US), NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines): Head and Neck Cancers, Version 2.2025.
- J-P Machiels et al., “Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, larynx, oropharynx and hypopharynx: EHNS–ESMO–ESTRO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment
and follow-up”, Annals of Oncology, vol. 31, iss. 11, 2020, pp. 1462–75. - P Bossi et al., “Nasopharyngeal carcinoma: ESMO–EURACAN Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up”, Annals of Oncology, vol. 32, iss. 4, 2020, pp. 452–65.
- C Resteghini et al., “Sinonasal malignancy: ESMO–EURACAN Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up”, ESMO Open, vol. 10, iss. 2, 2025.
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), Cancer Data in Australia 2025, AIHW, Canberra, viewed 29 October 2025, aihw.gov.au/reports/cancer/cancer-data-in-australia.
Head and neck cancers
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