Laryngeal Cancer: Signs and Symptoms of Throat Cancer Useful Information on Care and Treatments of Throat Cancer

The definition of a tumor is a mass of abnormally growing cells. Tumors can be either benign or malignant. Benign tumors have uncontrolled cell growth, but without any invasion into normal tissues and without any spread. A tumor is called malignant (cancer) when tumor cells gain the propensity to invade tissues and spread locally as well as to distant parts of the body. In this sense, laryngeal cancer occurs when cells in the lining of the throat grow uncontrollably and form tumors that can invade normal tissues and spread to other parts of the body.

Smoking is the most important risk factor for laryngeal cancer. Heavy chronic consumption of alcohol, particularly alcoholic spirits, is also significant. When combined, these two factors appear to have a synergistic effect. Some other quoted risk factors are likely, in part, to be related to prolonged alcohol and tobacco consumption. These include low socioeconomic status, male sex, and age greater than 55 years.

Allergy: A misguided reaction to foreign substances by the immune system , the body system of defense against foreign invaders, particularly pathogens (the agents of infection ). The allergic reaction is misguided in that these foreign substances are usually harmless. The substances that trigger allergy are called allergen. Examples include pollens , dust mite, molds , danders , and certain foods. People prone to allergies are said to be allergic or atopic.

But many other things can cause a hoarse voice. One of the most common causes is acute laryngitis (inflammation of the larynx). This usually happens due to a cold, a chest infection or over use of the voice, such as shouting or screaming. The symptoms of laryngeal cancer or Laryngeal Neoplasms depend on where the cancer develops. Since it most often develops on the vocal cords, hoarseness or other changes in the voice are common.

Causes

There is no single cause of laryngeal cancer but some factors increase the risk of developing it. Most people diagnosed with laryngeal cancer are over the age of 50. Men are more likely to be diagnosed with this disease than wome

Tobacco: The number one cause of laryngeal cancer is chronic smoking. It has been shown that people who smoke over a prolonged period of time, whether heavy or relatively light smokers, have the greatest risk for laryngeal cancer. As smoke passes by the larynx on its way to the lungs, it can damage the cells there.

Heavy drinking and smoking is particularly linked to cancer above the vocal cords (the supraglottis) and the area around the vocal cords (the glottis). Compared to non-drinkers, you have about 3 times the risk of developing cancer of the larynx if you are a heavy drinker. Even drinking less than two drinks a day (for example two pints of beer or two large glasses of wine) gives a slightly increased risk of laryngeal cancer.

Treatment

The doctor can describe your treatment choices and the results you can expect for each treatment option. You will want to consider how treatment may change the way you look, breathe, and talk. You and your doctor can work together to develop a treatment plan that meets your needs and personal values.

The choice of treatment depends on a number of factors, including your general health, where in the larynx the cancer began, the size of the tumor, and whether the cancer has spread.  For those that are suffering from laryngeal cancer or any other type of cancer not only can your doctor prescribe a treatment plan, but you should go out and look for additional natural therapies to augment the traditional approach to cancer treatments. 

By: Peter Hutch

 

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Laryngeal cancer may also be called cancer of the larynx or laryngeal carcinoma. Most laryngeal cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, reflecting their origin from the squamous cells which form the majority of the laryngeal epithelium. Cancer can develop in any part of the larynx, but the cure rate is affected by the location of the tumor. For the purposes of tumour staging, the larynx is divided into three anatomical regions: the glottis (true vocal cords, anterior and posterior commissures); the supraglottis (epiglottis, arytenoids and aryepiglottic folds, and false cords); and the subglottis.

The larynx is an organ at the front of your neck. It is also called the voice box. It is about 2 inches long and 2 inches wide. It is above the windpipe (trachea). Below and behind the larynx is the esophagus. The larynx has two bands of muscle that form the vocal cords. The cartilage at the front of the larynx is sometimes called the Adam’s apple.

laryngectomy is the removal of the voice box (larynx) from the neck, usually because of cancer. During this operation, a new route for breathing is surgically created. The end of the windpipe (trachea) is connected to a hole (stoma) made in the neck. Rather than using the mouth and the nose, the person will breathe through this hole. Because the patient with the laryngectomy breathes through a stoma, the air inhaled into the lungs is no longer warmed or moisturized by structures of the nose and mouth.

It is protected in the front by the large thyroid cartilage, which can be felt as the "Adam’s apple" in our neck. When you feel for your Adam’s apple, directly under that large piece of firm cartilage is the voice box, or the glottic portion of the larynx where the true vocal cords are located. Directly above the actual voice box is the supraglottic larynx, or supraglottis. This area contains some of the lining of the throat, cartilage and muscles that control the movement of the vocal cords, and the epiglottis, which is a flap of cartilage that closes over the voice box to protect our airway during swallowing. Below the vocal cords is the subglottic larynx, or subglottis.

People with cancer of the larynx often want to take an active part in making decisions about their medical care. It is natural to want to learn all you can about your disease and treatment choices. However, shock and stress after a diagnosis of cancer can make it hard to remember what you want to ask the doctor.

Alcohol: People who drink alcohol are more likely to develop laryngeal cancer than people who don’t drink. The risk increases with the amount of alcohol that is consumed. The risk also increases if the person drinks alcohol and also smokes tobacco. A personal history of head and neck cancer. Almost one in four people who have had head and neck cancer will develop a second primary head and neck cancer.

Smoking is by far the strongest risk factor associated with the development of laryngeal cancer. Since it is fairly uncommon for a non-smoker to be diagnosed with laryngeal cancer, smoking cessation is the best way to prevent laryngeal cancer. In fact, not using tobacco of any kind, by either smoking or smokeless, is the healthiest thing anyone can do, both in terms of preventing laryngeal cancer, as well as the prevention of other throat cancers, lung cancers, and many other serious health problems.

By: Peter Hutch

 

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