SCCHN is a group of neoplasms that develop in the epithelium of the upper gastrointestinal and airway, and it is a diverse disease. Approximately 65,000 individuals were estimated to be affected by SCCHN in the US in 2019, while a significant number of new cancer diagnoses in the oral cavity, pharynx, and lips were reported in South Korea, resulting in 1,170 fatalities from the disease in 2015. In recent decades, significant progress has been made in SCCHN patient treatment outcomes, with a significant increase in the percentage of patients who survived for five years in South Korea. This progress is partly attributed to improvements in surgical and radiation methods, enhanced supportive care, and changes in patient characteristics. In the past, smoking and alcohol consumption have been identified as the predominant etiological factors for SCCHN, while occasional cases have been attributed to chewing betel nut or genetic predisposition, such as in the case of Fanconi anemia.