Clear info about throat cancer
The majority of mouth and throat cancers can be avoided by stopping smoking and drinking excess alcohol.
Different types of throat cancer
Throat cancer actually covers a bigger area around your mouth than just your throat.
A = Nasopharynx
B = Uvula
C = Hypopharynx
D =
Larynx
E = Tongue
F = Oropharynx
Throat cancer involves any cancer in:
- your throat,
- base of your tongue,
- tonsils,
- pharynx or
- the tube extending from the nasal passages to the mouth to the esophagus and sinus.
See the above picture and using logic:
- if your cancer is located in area C = Hypopharynx your cancer will be named "hypopharyngeal cancer".
- if your cancer is located in area F = Oropharynx your cancer will be named "oropharyngeal cancer".
Symptoms and diagnosis of throat cancer
Throat cancer symptoms show up in problems with your hearing, smell, taste, speech or swallowing and could be any of the following:
- anything your dentist finds strange in your mouth
- a continuous cough
- a continuous sore throat
- difficult or painful swallowing
- a continuous pain in the ears
- a numb feeling in the face
- sores or ulcers in the mouth or on the tongue
- a lump in the back of the mouth, throat or neck
- enlarged lymph nodes
- saliva containing blood
- nose bleeding
In short: symptoms of a cold are similar. The difference is that a cold goes away after a few days. The throat cancer symptoms stay!
Advanced throat cancer symptoms could be:
- loosing weight
- hoarse voice
- difficult breathing
When your gut tells you that 'something is wrong' with your throat, go and see your doctor.
First your doctor will have a look in your mouth and throat. Then he will feel your mouth and throat for any lumps or swellings. Most likely you will be asked to have a blood test and asked what your family history is.
When something is suspicious or your doctor cannot help you further, you go and see an otorhinolaryngologist: a specialist in diseases of the head and neck.
Since it is relatively easy to take a tissue sample from the throat area, a biopsy will be done.
If no cancer is found, you could be happy although you still don't have an answer why you are having your symptoms...
If a throat cancer is found, then doctors will perform more tests to determine if and how far the cancer has spread. These viewings could be done by :
- X-rays
- ultrasound
- CT scan
- MRI scan
When father first was diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer I stumbled upon a group of people sharing their throat cancer stories telling me that their cancer was very different from father's cancer. Looking at the symptoms and diagnostic methods above, I can assure a "belly cancer" is very different from a "mouth cancer".
Always consult your doctors and read more about throat cancer symptoms!