Usually individuals who suffer from throat cancer develop cancer in their voice box called larynx and face problems like sore throat, swelling of the neck, and difficulty swallowing. Possibly, the sufferer may note these indications of throat cancer in the beginning, but they might get to know it when the cancer gets more advanced and they face issues with breathing or speaking. However, throat cancer symptoms may differ based on their location in your body, and if the cancerous tumors grow within the voice box, they can make you ineligible to speak. These conditions require an immediate diagnosis, and you must visit a medical expert quickly!

Common Causes

However, the exact cause of throat cancer is not known, but due to the reasons mentioned, an individual might develop this illness:

Can develop due to genetic changes in the cells of your throat.

Consuming a lot of alcohol and tobacco-based products can possibly let you develop tumors.

Getting human papillomavirus infection.

Individuals exposed to chemicals like sulfuric acid, mist nickel, etc. in the workplace are at greater risk. 

Throat Cancer Signs/Symptoms 

Here’s a list of some common signs that a person may face when developing throat cancer:

Voice Changes: If your voice is becominghoarse or husky or you are facing difficulty pronouncing certain sounds or words, then there might be a possibility that you are developing cancer in your larynx.

Difficulty or Pain in Swallowing: The most initial sign that you might come across would be difficulty swallowing, as you might experience burning or pain when chewing and swallowing food.

Chronic Sore Throat: Known as an early warning sign, where cancer can occur in the pharynx, causing pain in your throat, which doesn’t disappear when you swallow.

Weight loss: An unusual weight loss may occur as a common cancer symptom which can be exacerbated by swallowing problems.

Swollen Lymph Nodes Around the Neck: Swollen nodes or enlarged lymph glands around the neck can be a sign your body is developing a cancer illness, especially if it grows slowly.

Other Signs

trouble moving your tongue

white patches around tongue or mouth lining

coughing up blood

nosebleeds

pain in throat

Stages of Throat Cancer

Throat cancer staging can form an essential part done by your doctor to identify the stage of cancer and to analyze how far the cancer has grown and spread. Usually, these are the stages that your doctor will diagnose:

Stage 0: Denoted by the term carcinoma in situ where the throat will develop cancerous cells.

Stage I: Referred to as an early stage of cancer where the cancer is only two centimeters, limited to the throat.

Stage II: This stage forms where thetumor is usually between two-four centimeters, but yet not spread to the lymph nodes.

Stage III: Here, your throat cancer comes larger than four centimeters, or even spread to nearby lymph nodes.

Stage IV: During this, the cancer is no longer confined to the original site as it might spread to other body areas including your neck, trachea or jaw.

Throat Cancer Diagnosis 

Usually, the specialists follow the below mentioned methods to diagnose the throat cancer:

Physical Examination: Most initially when you see a doctor, they will usually examine your mouth, throat and neck to find any throat cancer symptom.

Larynx Endoscopy: To look for abnormalities of the throat, the doctors use an endoscope and insert it through the nose to analyze the illness. 

Biopsy: The doctors do this to determine if there are cancerous cells present by taking a small sample of cells or tissue to examine using a magnifying glass. 

Ultrasound: Ultrasound of the neck is utilized to detect any abnormalities present, which can subsequently be verified using CT or MRI scans. 

X-rays: The doctors may opt for chest x-ray to determine the sufferer’s general health and to analyze the spread of lung cancer. 

CT Scan: A radiological procedure is performed to confirm and pinpoint the presence of disease or cancer in the neck region, while also assessing any potential lymph nodes. This involves creating detailed cross-sectional images of the targeted structure from various angles. 

MRI: Using radio waves and magnets, the test produces detailed images about what’s going on inside your body. 

PET scan: The doctors usually inject radioactive material into the body to detect cancer cells.

 Treatment Options

Mentioned below are the treatment options that the experts suggest:

The order of treatment for throat cancer is especially if it’s involving voice box or adjacent structures is chemotherapy plus radiotherapy. This approach has evolved from the surgery first approach which was used few decades ago but with the principle of organ preservation and to preserve the voice of the patient.

Surgery: Your medical expert will suggest surgery depending upon the location of the cancer and the structures involved, if erosion of the cartilages seen in the scan then surgery is the choice of treatment The surgery involves laryngectomy plus partial phryngectomy and also reconstruction of the pharynx which connects to the food pipe . However, surgery involves excision of the voice box and loss of voice but with recent development of voice prosthesis, voice can be generated.

Laser Surgery: Another treatment option, usually opted by the medical experts in the very initial stages if the disease is limited only to the voice box that too partially.

Radiation Therapy: You may get advised by the doctor to undergo radiation therapy which is the primary treatment in some cases as these doses target the cancer cells to eliminate them.

Chemotherapy: To treat certain cancer conditions, chemotherapy may be needed, especially if the tumor is large, or if the cancer has spread into the lymph nodes as this surgery can shrink tumors possibly.

Targeted Therapy: Since this type of treatment reduces the risk of side effects, these drugs target specific cancer cells or proteins that affect the growth of cancer.

Immunotherapy: This new approach boosts the ability of the immune system to protect the body from cancer.

Prevention

Avoid consuming tobacco products and say no to smoking.

You can prevent this illness by limiting alcohol consumption.

Consume a healthy diet.

Final Words

Since we tried our best to cover every relatable aspect about Signs Of Throat Cancer for our readers, it is essential to note that visiting a trusted medical hospital for your treatment will help you recover better from the illness. To receive personalized advice and a discussion regarding Throat Cancer, consult with Dr. Sanjog Singh at Cancer Care India, a highly respected medical expert today. With years of expertise working in this field, doctors can assist you understand the process of throat cancer better and help you through the course of your illness.