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.
A 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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This post was written by admin on December 23, 2008
