- Smoking or chewing tobacco
- HPV infection of head/neck area
- Non-healing sore in mouth
- Painful persistent/progressive oral ulcer
- Difficulty or painful swallowing
- Persistent sore throat
- New lump found on neck while shaving or other
- Non-healing, progressive ulcer in mouth
- Firm, indurated edges
- Neck region lymph nodes firm, stuck to each other and underlying tissue