Throat Cancer

Throat cancer is a broad term used to cover cancer across a number of organs in the oronasal passage – right from the nasopharynx, oropharynx, glottis, epiglottis to supraglottis. It means anywhere from the back of the nose and throat to the where the neck ends. The mucous cells along this path can undergo changes and begin multiplying rapidly, leading to cancer.

The following are some additional risk factors

• Cigarette smoking
• Tobacco abuse
• History of human papilloma virus (HPV)
• Alcohol abuse
• Poor dental hygiene
• Family history

Cigarette smoking is the most important of all, and a person can significantly reduce the risk by cutting down smoking. The throat has different types of linings and gland tissue, and depending on the cell type affected, the type of cancer could vary.

Symptoms

Throat cancer diagnosis can get delayed as the symptoms are very similar to a throat infection.

• Sore throat: A sore throat that lasts for weeks together is often a cause for concern and requires ruling out underlying serious problem.
• Cough: A cough that does not go away and often associated with other symptoms mentioned here.
• Voice change: Hoarseness of the voice, which is painless and not accompanied by a throat infection, may be an indication of throat cancer.
• Difficulty swallowing or breathing: Depending on where the cancer is located, there could be problems in either free breathing or swallowing. The developing mass gets in the way of free air and/or food movement.
• Lumpy feeling in the throat: If the developing tumour is along the length of the throat, then there could be a lumpy feeling, as if something is caught in the throat and not going down.
• Bleeding: There could be bleeding either through the nose or the mouth, depending on the place of the cancer. Again, this is one of the late symptoms and not seen in the beginning.
• Unexplained weight loss: As with any cancer, throat cancer also leads to unexplained weight loss.

A combination of risk factor assessment and symptoms will help in pinning down the diagnosis. Reach out to the doctor as soon as you notice something is wrong, as early diagnosis is very good for timely intervention and improving prognosis.

Diagnosis

Laryngoscopy: Using a scope to get a closer look at your throat.

Biopsy: Removing a tissue sample for testing

Imaging tests: X-ray, computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET), may help your doctor determine the extent of your cancer beyond the surface of your throat or voice box.

Staging

After throat cancer is diagnosed, the stage of throat cancer is characterized upto 4 stages. Each subtype of throat cancer has its own criteria for each stage. In general, stage I throat cancer indicates a smaller tumor confined to one area of the throat. Later stages indicate more advanced cancer, with stage IV being the most advanced.

Treatment

Your treatment options are based on many factors, such as the location and stage of your throat cancer, the type of cells involved, your overall health, and your personal preferences.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy can come from a large machine outside your body (external beam radiation), or radiation therapy can come from small radioactive seeds and wires that can be placed inside your body, near your cancer (brachytherapy).

For more-advanced throat cancers, radiation therapy may be combined with chemotherapy or surgery. In very advanced throat cancers, radiation therapy may be used just to reduce signs and symptoms and make you more comfortable and not curable.

Surgery

The types of surgical procedures you may consider to treat your throat cancer depend on the location and stage of your cancer. Options may include:

Surgery for early-stage throat cancer. Throat cancer that is confined to the surface of the throat or the vocal cords may be treated surgically using endoscopy. Using these tools, your doctor can scrape off, cut out or, in the case of the laser, vaporize very superficial cancers.

Surgery to remove all or part of the voice box (laryngectomy). For smaller tumors, your doctor may remove the part of your voice box that is affected by cancer, leaving as much of the voice box as possible.

For larger, more-extensive tumors, it may be necessary to remove your entire voice box. Your windpipe is then attached to a hole (stoma) in your throat to allow you to breathe (tracheotomy

Surgery to remove part of the throat (pharyngectomy).

Surgery to remove cancerous lymph nodes (neck dissection). If throat cancer has spread deep within your neck, your doctor may recommend surgery to remove some or all of the lymph nodes to see if they contain cancer cells.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy is often used along with radiation therapy in treating throat cancers.

Targeted drug therapy

Targeted drugs treat throat cancer by taking advantage of specific defects in cancer cells that fuel the cells’ growth.

What are the symptoms of advanced throat cancer

• Trouble swallowing (dysphagia),
• Pain in the ear on the side of the tumor (otalgia),
• Trouble breathing (dyspnea),
• Noisy breathing (stridor),
• Later in the disease, voice changes or a lump (mass) in the neck.
• Noisy breathing (stridor) is a sign of obstruction or narrowing of the laryngeal or tracheal parts of the airway and difficulty passing air.
• Any breathing difficulty needs immediate medical attention.
• Pain on Swallowing Worrisome
• A symptom that is particularly worrisome is pain that occurs, for no apparent reason, with swallowing, in conjunction with other difficulty swallowing, particularly solid foods.
• Tumor Likely if Bleeding
• Bleeding or coughing up blood can also be a sign of a tumor in the larynx.

You should know that treatment for pain is part of cancer treatment. It is important to resist the big myth that because cancer is a serious disease, pain is to be expected. Most people can get complete relief for their pain — or at least significant relief that allows them to enjoy the activities of daily life.

What is advanced or metastatic throat cancer

Advanced throat cancer includes stage 3 and stage 4 and terminal cancer. Stage 3 includes when cancer spreads to other tissues in and around the ovary and / or lymph nodes. Stage 4 includes metastasis.

Metastasis happens when cancer cells break away from a primary tumor and enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system (the system that produces stores and carries the cells that fight infections). When cancer cells spread and form a new tumour in a different organ, the new tumor is a metastatic tumor, the cells of which come from the original tumor. The most common sites of metastasis from ovary cancer tumors are the liver, lungs, bones and brain. Cancer can spread to other parts of the body, too.

Some people with metastatic cancer do not have symptoms. Their metastases may be found by tests, which may be performed for other reasons such as PET, MRI or CT scan. When symptoms do occur, the type and frequency depend on the size and location of the metastasis. For example, cancer that spreads to the bones is likely to cause pain and can lead to bone fractures. Shortness of breath may be a sign of lung involvement.

Liver metastasis

If they do have symptoms, they may be vague and can include:

• Loss of appetite or feeling full early
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Itching
• Pain in the abdomen
• Swelling in the legs
• Weight loss
• Yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes, called jaundice

Lung metastasis

Because the lungs get blood flow from the rest of the body, cancer can travel there from other organs. Cancer that has spread to the lungs often affects breathing.

Symptoms include:

• A cough that doesn’t go away
• Chest pain
• Blood in the mucus
• Trouble breathing
• Weight loss

Bone metastasis

When cancer travels to the bones, it can weaken them and cause them to release stored calcium. Symptoms include:

• Bone pain
• Constipation, nausea, and loss of appetite from high calcium levels in the blood
• Broken bones
• Numbness or weakness in the legs and possibly the arms
• Pain in the back or neck

Are you suffering from pain?

Any cancer has only 4 treatments. Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and pain relief treatment / pain management.

What is the stage of cancer? Stage decides the treatment. All advanced cancers cannot be treated by chemotherapy and / or radiation therapy. Chemotherapy / radiation therapy may not benefit in stage 4 cancer. Recent research tells that unnecessary chemotherapy may reduce quality & life span too. Pain is the most common problem in stage 3 or 4. Please remember Pain definitely can be controlled or treated at any stage of cancer. Even if you are taking ayurvedic treatment for cancer or homeopathic treatment, it will not help in pain relief – You must take pain management treatment. Pain relief is important for continuing any treatment. Pain relief needs dedicated pain management treatment usually offered by Pain specialist doctors. In addition to best cancer specialist, ACCN is proud to have best pain specialist doctor in Delhi and in India. Pain management and cancer treatment goes side by side. Demand a pain free cancer treatment.

One must always remember that in stage 3 / stage 4 / terminal cancer – palliative care and pain relief treatment is usually the priority treatment so that pain relief continues at home too.  Pain free journey of cancer ie pain free cancer treatment helps in prolongation of life.

Advanced-Cancer Care Network, Delhi, India, with its branches (contact) at Delhi and Rohtak (Haryana) is a unique conglomeration of super-specialist doctors, who believe in well-being of human life.  ACCN is the most advanced centre for stage 3 cancer, stage 4 cancer, advanced stage cancer, terminal cancer, Cancer pain management and palliative care. It offers the unique and state-of-the-art treatment for pain relief and cancer treatment in India.

Click on Pain relief in throat Cancer to know the best pain management methods at home for throat cancer.

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Palliative care

Palliative care is designed to give symptomatic relief to the patient, control the side-effects of illness or treatment and improve quality of life of cancer patients. Palliative care treatment is provided by a medical specialist, other than oncosurgeon or oncologist. This medical specialist is known as “Pain & Palliative Care Specialist”. India has very limited number of such specialists and if you are also not able to find one for yourself, please contact ACCN (Advanced – Cancer Care Network), we are proud to have India”s best and most qualified Pain Specialists and Palliative Care Specialists.

Click on Understanding palliative care to know the palliative care treatment for stage 3 cancer or stage 4 cancer or advanced stage cervical cancer.

Role of Palliative Care Treatment

It is usually said that role of palliative care starts, when cancer becomes incurable or advanced stage or terminal or at end-of-life. It is one of the biggest myths in cancer treatment protocols. Palliative care specialist must be consulted and involved in the cancer treatment right from the first day when cancer is diagnosed and treatment is started. Initially when cancer is at stage 1 or 2, complete focus is on cancer cure and palliative care has minimal but very important role. As the cancer (if) progresses, gradually role of palliative care also enlarges. In stage 3 or stage 4. role of palliative care becomes much more important than other regular cancer treatments.

Click on How we can help to know about our various services for advanced cancer patients.

Click on Symptom control to understand that how we can provide suffering free life to advanced cancer patient.

Benefits of Palliative Care

• Makes patient feel better and stay active during treatment
• Manages side-effects of cancer treatment
• Facilitates as high a quality of life as possible
• Helps cancer treatments do a better job
• Can be curative as well as life-supporting treatment
• Cancer diet planning
• Improves survival outcomes
• Increases immunity levels
• Improves communication between patient and family members
• Maintains hope and stick to principals of ethics