In Canada, an estimated 8,100 people were diagnosed with head and neck cancers in 2024. While these cancers can affect people of all ages, they are more commonly diagnosed in adults over the age of 45, occur more often in men than women, and are often preventable.
There are several types of head and neck cancers. Tumours can form in different part of a person’s nose, mouth or throat, including the larynx, esophagus, pharynx, tongue, tonsils and salivary glands, amongst others. Thyroid cancers are many times included in this grouping.
Many head and neck cancers are curable when caught early, but better approaches to detection and treatment are still needed for patients with advanced or recurrent disease.
Our research strategy
Given these challenges, the Terry Fox Research Institute has embarked on a multi-pronged strategy to fund the best head and neck cancer scientific teams and programs in the country.
In 2024/2025, roughly 7 per cent of the money invested by TFRI Research Grants Programs supported head and neck cancer research. This added up to a total investment of nearly $1.5 million.*
To allocate its resources, the Institute has international experts evaluate the excellence and the potential for impact of all its research projects. This approach distinguishes our research investment strategy from all others in Canada and allows donors to be confident that their investment is supporting the best research in Canada.
*Our scientific discovery projects are interdisciplinary by design and often focus on more than one cancer type. The figures listed above are an estimate and should not be taken as exact figures.