Throat Cancer – Its symptoms, causes and Treatment

Dr.Arun Giri, 3 mins read

The human throat consists of the voice box (larynx), pharynx, tonsils, and epiglottis. Throat cancer occurs when the cells of the voice box, vocal cords, and other parts of the throat such as the tonsils and pharynx grow abnormally and become malignant. In India, mouth and throat cancers are the most prevalent type and affect mostly males. Throat cancer is often clubbed with other types of facial cancers and categorized as head and neck cancer. Almost 1.4 million patients develop cancer in India each year of which approximately 1.88 lakh are head and neck cancers and the number of people living with this disease is even more. Throat cancer is mostly associated with tobacco smoking but the peculiarities range from indoor air pollution to dietary factors. The survival rate is also much less in India when compared to other Asian countries.

Types of Throat Cancer 

• Nasopharyngeal cancer– when the part of the throat which is just behind the nose gets affected with malignancy.
• Oropharyngeal cancer– this happens in the oropharynx – the part of the throat behind the mouth including the tonsils.
• Glottic cancer– the cancer of vocal cords
• Supraglottic cancer– when the upper portion of the voice box including the epiglottis gets affected by the malignancy. Epiglottis is a very important part of the human throat, it is small cartilage that blocks food going into the windpipe.
• Subglottic cancer– when the lower portion of the voice box, below the vocal cords, gets affected by cancer.

Symptoms

Symptoms of throat cancer vary a wide range but most commonly seen are severe cough, blood in cough, change in voice, hoarseness or inability to speak properly, difficulty swallowing, persistent ear pain, lump or sore that does not heal, swollen lymph nodes, persistent sore throat, significant weight loss.

Risk factors

• Continuous tobacco use, smoking, and chewing both
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Viral infection like HPV or Epstein-Barr Virus
• Diet severely deprived of proper vitamins
• GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease)
• Long exposure to a toxic substance
• Indoor air pollution
• Spicy food consumption for a very long period

It is seen that throat cancer is often linked with other types of cancers like oesophageal, lung, or bladder cancer at the same time. This is because all these cancers have common risk factors.

Diagnosis

Laryngoscopy is generally the first step of the diagnosis of throat cancer. This helps the doctor to get a closer and clear view of the throat and any abnormalities reported are then sent for biopsy. Imaging tests like MRI or CT scan, PET scan, Barium swallow, and X-rays help in staging cancer.

Throat Cancer Stages:

• Stage 0– The outgrowth is only on the top layer of cells of the affected part of the throat.
• Stage 1– The outgrowth is less than 2cm and is limited to the part where it started.
• Stage 2– The outgrowth is between 2cm and 4cm or may have grown into nearby areas.
• Stage 3– the outgrowth is more than 4cm and has grown to the other parts of the throat or has spread to one of the lymph nodes.
• Stage 4– In throat cancer stage 4 the outgrowth has spread to the lymph nodes or distant organs.

Throat cancer treatment

• Surgery- When the outgrowth remains small in size, most of the time, oncologists prefer to surgically remove it. There are various types of surgeries depending upon the size and the stage of malignancy.
• Radiation therapy– Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy and 3D Radiation Therapy are the most commonly used treatment options these days for throat cancer. Brachytherapy is also a popular treatment option for this type of cancer.
• Chemotherapy– This is the most conventional treatment option for throat cancers which has spread to distant organs.
• Targeted therapy– This type of treatment is becoming more popular these days, through targeted therapy, drugs are used to stop the growth and spread of cancer cells by interfering with specific molecules responsible for outgrowth.

Post-treatment recovery:

In most cases, post-treatment recovery plays a vital role in the rehabilitation of the patient. Speech therapists and palliative care experts are most important in this period. Sometimes occupational therapists are needed for those who find difficulty in swallowing. Even reconstructive surgeries are required in case of disfigurement after surgery.

Prevention

When diagnosed early, throat cancer has a high survival rate. Early in the stage, the cure becomes definite, but statistics say most of the time, it is reported late and thus the rate of curability becomes rare.

But there are definite ways to prevent throat cancer:

• Overuse of nicotine in any form causes throat cancer. Stop using it today. Join the Tobacco Cessation program today.
• Aggressive alcohol intake is a reason for throat cancer. Reduced alcohol intake can help prevent throat cancer
• A healthy diet can always help in the reduction of any type of disease. A balanced diet and proper exercise are the keys to staying fit
• HPV vaccine can prevent the transmission of the virus which is a reason for causing throat cancer.
• Indoor air pollution is also a leading cause of throat cancer. Burning coal in a closed and small area and continuous inhalation of the coal fume is a major reasons behind this disease.

Throat cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to cure. Prevention is always the key to getting away from such diseases, but able oncologists, the best one-surgeons, state-of-the-art technologies, and the best team for comprehensive care can help treat it. Aakash Healthcare Super Specialty Hospital brings together the brightest minds in Surgical, Medical, Palliative Oncology, Reconstructive surgeries, ENT – Oncologists, Physiotherapists, and Speech Therapists, and provides tailor-made care to individual patients. The team certainly can be called the best oncology team in Delhi-NCR with the finest group of specialists in the team. If you want to get the answers to questions like ‘how quickly does throat cancer develop, or final stage throat cancer symptoms, book an appointment with a cancer specialist to get all your doubts cleared.

Also, Read: How Does Smoking Cause Cancer?