Signs, symptoms, stages and treatment of throat cancer

What is throat cancer?

Currently, disappointing statistics have been summed up. 65-70% of tumors that are considered malignant are throat cancer. Also, cancer of this type is the most common form of the disease for the throat. This disease most often affects men who are already 40 years old. But women are also at risk. The percentage of those who can be cured is 60%. This is an “urban” disease; residents “in the countryside” suffer from it less often.

Cancer of the throat (cancer of the larynx) is a malignant tumor. The basis for its formation are the mucous membranes of the larynx and pharynx. As a rule, these malignant tumors begin to spread to neighboring organs or tissues.

Among the main factors due to which there is a risk of developing throat cancer, it should be mentioned:

• alcohol abuse,

• smoking habit,

• reaching a certain age.

The location of the tumor is of great importance. Laryngeal cancer can develop in the upper (supraglottic) larynx, middle (vocal cord) larynx, and lower (infraglottic) larynx. The most common is squamous cell carcinoma of the throat. As a rule, it affects the body of smokers.

The factors that determine the development of this disease are highlighted. For example, a malignant tumor appears in those who had chronic laryngitis, which did not pay the necessary attention to the treatment, as well as leukoplakia. Of these diseases, throat cancer develops into oncology. Of particular difficulty are the symptoms of this disease. Often they are characterized as rather vague, making it difficult to diagnose. There are a number of symptoms by which the disease itself is determined, as well as its stage, after which treatment is prescribed.

The first signs of throat cancer

The first signs of throat cancer resemble standard colds. Because of this, the disease is difficult to diagnose in the early stages.

As a rule, the first signs are:

• regular throat pain

• tumors in the neck

• trouble swallowing,

• voice changes.

Often, patients unknowingly mistake such manifestations for a viral infection, possibly an allergic reaction. As soon as such symptoms appear, it is necessary that this is important, since the following symptoms will be obvious, they indicate the active development of the disease.

If the stages are early, you can notice:

• White spots,

• small ulcers inside the larynx.

Explicit symptoms also have varying degrees of complexity:

• cutting pains in the throat;

• chronic cough;

• severe weight loss;

• swelling in the neck

• bouts of pain in the ear.

Overt symptoms are not enough to diagnose throat cancer. Several tests and tests are required for diagnosis. A biopsy is recognized as a special accuracy among the diagnostic tests used. A tumor is a specific type of cell. They can be taken with a needle, and then they go to a medical laboratory, where they are identified.

This test very accurately determines whether there is actually a tumor. Other tests serve to clarify the symptoms, find out what the size of the tumor is, where it is located. When symptoms are diagnosed, a CT scan is performed, which gives three-dimensional images of the tumor.

The first symptoms are especially closely related to the localization of throat cancer. By learning about the location of the cancer, you can understand which part of the organ is affected: upper, middle or lower.

Late symptoms are explained very simply:

• Due to the deterioration of health, there are not only pains when swallowing, but also toothaches, and they often fall out.

• The timbre of the voice changes due to the fact that the middle sections react to the tumor in such a way, and hoarseness appears.

• If the tumor has affected the lower sections, there is a sensation of a foreign body in the throat, shortness of breath develops, pain when swallowing.

The histological picture proves the predominance of squamous cell carcinoma, but the development of other types of degeneration is also normal.

Other symptoms of throat cancer

It is advisable to contact a medical specialist even at the first symptoms of throat cancer. But if the early signs are missed, the signals of the body become more than noticeable.

In addition to coughing, other manifestations may occur, such as trouble swallowing, as well as:

• Sore throat that cannot be relieved with pain medication.

• Bloody cough.

• Strong growth of lymph nodes.

• Rotten smell from the mouth.

• Unreasonable weakness.

With early detection of the disease and treatment will require more sparing. Radical treatment will help to finally overcome this disease. It is possible to save not only life, but also health, restoring full-fledged activity.

Going for a checkup is recommended if the sore throat persists for more than 2 weeks, along with:

• wheezing

• suffocation

• feeling of a lump in the throat.

Causes of throat cancer

The causes of throat cancer are quite complex. Based on the results of numerous observations, it will be possible to establish a number of factors that have to be taken into account as the most relevant in this case:

• This disease most often affects men.

• Bad habits such as alcohol abuse and smoking are capable of provoking the disease.

• Patients who have overcome the 60th anniversary are especially susceptible to the disease.

• Oral hygiene should be given due attention – this reduces the risk of developing oncology.

• If there is a genetic predisposition, the risk of developing pathology becomes three times more dangerous.

• The risk group is represented by a special category of people whose work is related to hazardous production.

• A special category is represented by patients who have already had a malignant tumor in the areas of the neck and head.

There are factors that influence the development of this disease:

• Insufficient dietary intake of foods such as vegetables and fruits.

• Excessive consumption of certain dishes – salted meat, etc.

• Much attention is paid to the Epstein-Barr virus – this is the factor that causes infectious mononucleosis.

Pain symptoms appear where cancer cells develop. If the stages are still early, it seems insignificant, not always worthy of attention. It is characterized as permanent. Each time it gets stronger. If the stage is especially late, the pain becomes very severe, and this means that the cancer cells have already begun to spread to the nerve endings.

Weight loss, which seems to have no reason, occurs very quickly. In fact, the reason is obvious – the body is forced to create special biologically active substances, due to which the initial metabolic process in the body is disrupted.

Weakness develops for certain reasons, due to which it is often accompanied by nausea. These are the consequences of intoxication, the excretion of waste products by cancer cells into the blood.

It is important to track the condition of the skin, hair and nails. Their changes depend on the type of cancer. Also, with cancer, the body temperature decreases and rises. This symptom appears in the early stages. This is a signal of the immune system, which is oppressed by cancer cells.

Stages of throat cancer

A lot depends on determining the stage of cancer, in particular, the choice of treatment.

Doctors establish it based on certain manifestations and characteristics of education:

• tumor size,

• mobility of the vocal cords,

• the presence of metastases.

For the early stages of the throat, some common features are characteristic, such as small size, without metastases. On the second, cancer cells can be found in the lymph nodes that are on the neck. The last two stages of the disease are characterized by a high prevalence of the tumor.

Throat Cancer Diagnosis

Diagnosis of cancer in the throat area consists of certain procedures carried out in a strict sequence. Using special tools, a professional examines the cavity of the larynx and pharynx. Computed tomography, biopsy, histological examination are also used.

Laryngoscopy A method such as laryngoscopy will help to examine the larynx, in which a special mirror or laryngoscope is used. The method is an examination of the vocal folds and the throat cavity, to identify and conduct a study of a developing tumor. A laryngoscope is a tube supplemented with a video camera. While the video camera makes it possible to examine the larynx, tissue is simultaneously taken, which is then used in a histological examination – a biopsy.

This method is valued for its great accuracy. It allows you to most clearly draw up a picture of the diagnosis. By means of a biopsy, it is established whether there is throat cancer as such, and also what its histological type is. This information is useful because it allows you to effectively treat the disease.

Others. Other methods are used – computed tomography, ultrasound, positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These are procedures that allow obtaining important data on the size of the formation, finding out the state of the tissues adjacent to the tumor, and assessing the size of the lymph nodes.

Perhaps the results of this research algorithm will help identify cancer in the patient’s throat. There are also additional diagnostic procedures. In particular, the stages of the disease are revealed by clarifying its prevalence, etc.

Throat Cancer Treatment

Throat cancer is also referred to as pharynx and larynx cancer. He entered the list of one of the twenty most common types of diseases of the oncological category. Its development can begin in patients of both sexes. But statistics confirm that it usually appears in men.

This type of cancer usually develops from tissue such as epithelial. It is possible to distinguish squamous and basal cell carcinoma of this area, as well as sarcoma. Statistics say that the squamous cell type of oncology of this organ is usually diagnosed.

Among the main signs of throat cancer are neoplasms that are detected in the corresponding area. It is a mistake to treat directly growths or sores from which a certain substance is released. It also does not make sense to try to get rid of swallowing difficulties, feeling of lack of air, problematic breathing process separately.

The most important is the prevention of this disease, which helps to avoid complex treatment and the occurrence of complications.

First of all, you need to avoid risk factors for this disease. These include not only those mentioned above, but also:

• Chronic goiter.

• Diseases of the upper tract of a chronic nature, relapsing category – for example, chronic laryngitis.

• Immunodeficiency.

• And some others.

To prevent this disease, you need:

• Stick to proper nutrition, focusing on vegetables, fruits, dairy products, cereals, etc.

• Do not eat spicy, salty, fried.

• Give up bad habits or reduce them to a minimum.

• Try to lead an active lifestyle, constantly finding time for walks in the fresh air, moderate and constant physical activity.

• If it is not possible to avoid constant contact with potential carcinogens, then this should be done using special protective equipment.

• Carefully observe the hygiene of the larynx and oral cavity.

• To conduct preventive examinations, the purpose of which is to detect throat cancer, it takes only a few days; The procedure does not bring pain, except for a biopsy. This is the most accurate method for establishing this disease. Mistakes are very rare, 99% of the results are correct.

If preventive measures do not help, then urgent treatment is required. The sooner it is started, the better the results will be. The prognosis is as follows – the survival rate is currently up to 70% for 5 years after the therapy procedure.

Usually treatment is built in a complex way. It includes several methods:

• Radiosurgical.

• Surgical.

• method of radiation therapy.

• Chemotherapy.

The treatment is carried out with a specific goal – to achieve the maximum release of the patient from a malignant neoplasm, restoring the vital functions of such an organ as the larynx. Recall that these include respiratory and protective. Then it is required to restore such a patient’s ability as speech. It may be necessary to resort to the correction of speech disorders (often the patient acquires hoarseness, aphonia due to illness).

Nowadays, a disease such as throat cancer is treated by combined methods, when radiation therapy and surgery are applied sequentially.

Medical practice, in this case, is based on a combination of several methods:

• radiation therapy.

• Surgery

• Chemotherapy.

Such a method of treating throat cancer, like radiation therapy, is to influence cancer cells through radiation. This procedure is of several types – internal and external.

If we talk about external beam therapy, then it is carried out as follows. The device is placed directly next to the patient. Rays emanate from it, directed to the neoplasm. If contact therapy is carried out, then a certain amount of radioactive substances are delivered to the tumor, possibly to nearby tissues. This is done with special tools. The instrumentation is represented by you – tubes, catheters or needles. This therapy is effective if the patient has given up smoking before the procedure. The operation is allowed to be carried out at any stage of the disease.

Surgical methods of a modern nature are represented by the following procedures:

• Chordectomy (is to eliminate the vocal folds).

• Hemilaryngectomy (represents the cutting of the affected half of the larynx).

• Supraglottic laryngectomy (a procedure to remove the epiglottis).

• Complete laryngectomy (cutting out the larynx; in an additional order, a breathing hole is made on the front surface of the neck, it is called a tracheostomy).

• Partial laryngectomy (consists in the removal of a fragment of the larynx; this helps to return the patient to speech).

• Laser surgery (with the help of a laser – a kind of knife, the affected tissues are removed, the operation is distinguished by the absence of bleeding).

• Thyroidectomy (cutting out a fragment or the entire thyroid gland that is in the area of ​​the pathological process).

First, surgical treatment is carried out, and then the stage of chemotherapy or radiation therapy is to be carried out. In this case, the cancer cells are treated with cytotoxic drugs. They penetrate the bloodstream and kill abnormal cells. This procedure is performed before an operation such as radiation therapy, when the size of the tumor is reduced.

In recent years, practitioners have begun to resort to such an opportunity as radio stabilizers. These tools can increase the sensitivity of the tumor to such an operation as radiation exposure.

Treatment of throat cancer with folk remedies

Treatment of laryngeal cancer with folk remedies can be considered as an additional option. At different stages, different types of treatment are recommended – surgical, chemotherapeutic, radiation and combined. This is a treatment that is carried out in appropriate medical institutions. When laryngeal cancer is diagnosed, several suitable traditional medicine recipes can be found.

• A popular recipe for chopped bay leaf. This ingredient will require 3 cups. It is poured with 500 ml of vodka. The blank is infused for 14 days in a dark place, do not forget to shake it occasionally. Then the liquid is filtered and taken three times a day, 1 tbsp. l. The course should be long enough.

• Often they resort to the help of Japanese Arizema. In China, the plant has another name – “star of the southern sky.” It treats several types of cancer – not only of the larynx, but also of the skin and breast. Medicinal is such a part as the rhizomes of arizema, which are collected at a certain time – before the formation of leaves. So, to prepare a decoction 1 tbsp. l. crushed rhizomes are poured into 500 ml of boiling water, and then boiled over low heat for 15 minutes. Insist the workpiece for 1 hour, filter. Consume 1/3 cup, three times a day. Grinding the rhizomes into powder, conduct a course, orally – 3 times a day, in portions of 1,0-1,5 g.

• Another plant in this category is the spotted slipper. To cure oncology, it is advised to prepare a decoction or alcoholic tincture from a part such as flowers, adhering to a ratio of 1:10. Use 2 tbsp. l. 3-4 times a day. In addition, remedies of this kind from the spotted slipper can cure exhaustion.

• Another folk remedy is called hemlock speckled. You can read about this technique here.

• A plant such as cocklebur cures throat cancer. Its fresh juice is required, obtained from the whole plant, passed through a meat grinder. Then it must be preserved by applying juice and vodka in equal parts. The mixture is kept in a cool dark place. Serving – 1 tsp. three times a day. There are times when 1 tbsp is required. l.