Sore throat and the gland directly under the jaw bone hurts and the area is swollen. my ear is sore at times. should i be worried about cancer?

How long?: It may be an upper respiratory infection. Not enough info to talk about cancer. Go see your physician.

Pharyngitis: A sore throat is much more likely to be just that. Viral pharyngitis is most likely particularly if there is redness of lining of the back inside the throat. That painful gland is a regional lymph node. It's full of immune cells fighting the infection. If you have fever, open sores or white (pus covered) tonsils then get checked out for strep throat. Cancer is more common in older smokers.

NOT REALLY BUT NEEDS: Needs to be checked as your swollen glands and sore throat is most probably due to infection and it may need to be treated with full course of appropriate antibiotics It is unlikely to be cancer and seems like an acute infection But have it checked and get treated