Tonsil cancer
The tonsils are 2 glands at the back of your throat. They are in the part of the throat just behind your mouth, called the oropharynx (pronounced oar-o-far-rinks).
They help reduce infection by stopping harmful germs from coming through the mouth and nose.
The oropharynx includes:
the back third of your tongue
the soft area at the back of the roof of the mouth (the soft palate)
the tonsils and two ridges of tissue in front of and behind the tonsils
the back wall of your throat
Most tonsil cancers are a type called . A small number of tonsil cancers are .
The information in this section is about squamous cell carcinoma. The treatment for lymphomas is different.
Symptoms can include:
a sore throat that doesn't get better
ear pain
a painless lump in your neck
difficulty or pain when swallowing
voice changes
The main risk factors for developing this type of cancer are
smoking
regularly drinking a lot of alcohol
infection with a virus called human papilloma virus (HPV)
If you smoke and drink a lot together, you increase your risk even further.
There are many types of HPV. Tonsil cancer is especially linked to type 16. HPV is a sexually transmitted infection. It is very common. For many people, HPV causes no harm and goes away without treatment. Only a very small number of people with HPV develop tonsil cancer.
Find out more about HPV and cancer
Your doctor will examine you. They might look at the back of your throat using a small mirror that they put into your mouth. They will check for swollen lymph nodes in your neck.
The only way to confirm a diagnosis of cancer is to take a small amount of tissue (biopsy) from the abnormal area. A specialist doctor examines it under a microscope. They also test your cancer cells to check for HPV infection.
You might have an examination and biopsy under a general anaesthetic. The doctor uses a tube and camera called a panendoscope to look into your throat.
Find out about having a biopsy for oropharyngeal cancer
You usually have one or more of the following tests:
of the in your neck
Your doctor may also look at the back of your throat using a thin tube with a light on the end. This is called a nasoendoscopy.
Find out more about these tests
The stage of your cancer tells you how big it is and whether it has spread. It helps your doctor decide what treatment you need.
The stage of your cancer depends on:
how far your cancer has grown into local tissues
whether it has spread to nearby lymph glands
whether it has spread to any other part of the body
The stage of tonsil cancer also depends on whether your cancer cells contain the HPV. The doctors test your cancer cells. This is called the p16 test. Your cancer is either called:
P16 positive - it contains HPV
P16 negative – it doesn’t contain HPV
Tonsil cancers that contain HPV tend to do better than tonsil cancers that don’t contain HPV.
Read more about staging oropharyngeal cancer
Treatment for tonsil cancer could include:
surgery
chemotherapy with radiotherapy (chemoradiotherapy)
and
Last reviewed: 10 Feb 2025
Next review due: 10 Feb 2028
Mouth cancer can start in the lips, gums or soft sides of your mouth. The oropharynx is the part of the throat (pharynx) just behind the mouth. Cancer starting in the oropharynx is called oropharyngeal cancer.
The main treatments for tonsil cancer are surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Your treatment depends on how far your cancer has grown and whether it has spread.
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