Cancer affects the body’s basic unit, the cell. Cancer occurs when cells become abnormal and keep dividing and forming more cells without control or order. Throat cancer is also known as cancer of the larynx and it affects the voice box and the surrounding tissues. Cancer of the throat accounts for about 1 in every 100 cancer cases in men and around 6 out of every 10 cases develop on the vocal chords. If the cancer is on the cords then symptoms of throat cancer are experienced early and rapid diagnosis can be made.
Causes of Throat Cancer
Throat cancer appears to occur as a result of damage to the DNA in the cells in your mouth and throat. Using tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption can damage these tissues. The combination of smoking or chewing tobacco and excessive drinking creates a much higher risk of oral and throat cancer.
The main cause for the exposure for this cancer is the consumption of the tobacco that plays a significant role in many of the cases. The causes for this cancer are the heavy smoking of cigarettes, chewing tobacco, excessive use of alcohol is also one of the causes for its occurrence. But if the man is addicted to both smoking and consuming alcohol then he is at higher risk of getting the disease.
But this is more occurred in men than women. This disease can occur to any age but mainly occurs to the age group who is above 45 of age. This can be controlled with herbal products Some of the other factors for the occurrence of this cancer are the enlargement of the thyroid gland called chronic goiter. This cause may be due to the radiation exposure and the family history of cancer or the genetic predisposition.
General Symptoms
Some of the early symptoms of throat cancer are fairly general and, therefore, can easily be confused for some other condition or illness. Some of the common symptoms associated with throat cancer include:
Chronic earaches
Chronic sore throat
Difficulty speaking
Enlarged lymph nodes
Throat cancer symptoms include: a sore throat that does not go away, painful swallowing, hoarseness, ear pains, and possible lumps in the neck region. Cancers above and below the vocal cords tend to spread more quickly than cancer of the vocal cords alone because there are more lymph vessels present in these areas, through which cancer cells spread quickly.
Throat Cancer Treatment
The treatment options used to treat your throat cancer will depend on a number of factors, including the stage of the disease, your age and general health, as well as other factors. Surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy are three common forms of treatment often used to treat cancer. To learn more about these and other conventional throat cancer treatments we offer at CTCA, visit our Conventional Treatment Options page.
If you catch the throat cancer tumors early, removing the spot or lump surgically may eliminate the cancer. However, in more advanced cases, the surgeon may want to remove the cancerous lesion or lump and follow up with chemotherapy and/or radiation to kill off the remaining cancerous cells.
Research has recently found that treating some throat cancers with lasers removes less healthy tissue and allows for shorter hospital stays after treatment. You can discuss all your options with your doctor. Remember that early detection is the key to successful treatment.
