Throat cancer is a dangerous diagnose that affects people mostly in age group 40 to 60 years. This type of cancer is not very common (about 4% of all cancers), but the number of patients with such diagnosis is growing every year. In men, throat cancer is more common than in women, which is associated with combination of factors causing this pathology. Read in this material about the causes of throat cancer, its types and methods of treatment.

 

READ IN ARTICLE:

 

Types of throat cancer
Causes and symptoms of development
Diagnosis of throat cancer
Throat Cancer Treatment
After treatment

TYPES OF THROAT CANCER

    Throat cancer has two main types:

  • Squamous cell carcinoma – the most common type of this disease, affects the flat cells covering the organ.
  • Adenocarcinoma – negatively affects the glandular epithelial cells of the throat.
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Depending on the localization of the pathological process, the disease of the throat is divided into laryngeal cancer and pharyngeal cancer. Like other cancer tumors, throat cancer has stages. The degree of organ damage is determined by the size and nature of the tumor. In general, there are 4 stages:
 
Stage 1 — the size of the tumor does not exceed 20 mm and does not affect the surrounding cells;
 
Stage 2 — a tumor with a size of 20-40 mm, can spread to neighboring tissues;
 
Stage 3 — a neoplasm of more than 40 mm, affects other tissues of the throat, or affects one lymph node;
 
Stage 4 — a tumor of considerable size, which had a negative effect on the lymph nodes or distant organs.
 
 

READ ALSO: How much it costs and where to treat throat cancer

REASONS AND SYMPTOMS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THROAT CANCER

    The main reasons that are linked to cause of throat cancer include the following:

  • Smoking or using chewing tobacco;
  • Excessive drinking;
  • Gastroesophageal reflux disease;
  • Human papillomavirus;
  • Epstein-Barr virus;
  • Malnutrition;
  • Heredity;
  • Professional conditions (constant inhalation of carcinogenic gases and dust).
    Patients who are suffered with malignant tumor of the larynx, have these symptoms:

  • Sore throat;
  • Persistent cough;
  • Voice change and hoarseness;
  • Trouble swallowing;
  • Swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck;
  • Weight loss;
  • Labored breathing.

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THROAT CANCER DIAGNOSTICS

If a doctor suspected development of throat cancer in patient, he can assign a set of diagnostic procedures. These diagnostics will help determine the degree of organ damage and the nature of the tumor with high accuracy, which will result in the most effective treatment. The most common investigations with this type of cancer are the following:

  • Laryngoscopy is a method of detailed assessment of the condition of the mucous membrane of the throat, which involves the use of a laryngoscope. There is indirect and direct laryngoscopy – in the case of the latter, doctors use general or local anesthesia.
  • MRI – allows to get a three-dimensional model of the body and show the pathological processes occurring in the tissues.
  • CT – represents the images of soft tissues in high resolution and allows to estimate the exact size and boundaries of the tumor in the throat.
  • PET-CT is the most accurate method for diagnosis of throat cancer, which is used to obtain data on the nature of the tumor, its structure, size and location.

TREATMENT OF THROAT CANCER

After establishing an accurate diagnosis, foreign clinics assign team of specialists from different profiles connects to the patient’s treatment – this increases the success of the treatment, since the patient’s features are taken into account from the point of view of each doctors. The doctors ’meeting includes a therapist, an oncologist, a radiologist, an anesthesiologist, and a surgeon — if invasive intervention is prescribed.

 

Among the methods of treatment of throat cancer, there are many modern treatment options that allow them to keep healthy cells intact and not damage the organ itself.

 

Microtools are used in surgical operations these days, which make it possible to carry out the procedure without trauma and with lower blood loss – this allows the patient to recover faster.

 

READ ALSO: Operation for cancer of the throat / larynx

 
 

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Radiotherapy for throat cancer. This method of treatment uses high-energy radiation rays that destroy cancer cells. These include advanced technologies such as 3D conformal radiation therapy and intensively modulated radiation therapy(IMRT).

 

These types of effects on the tumor are characterized by the fact that they are directed clearly at the location of the neoplasm and do not go beyond its boundaries. Doctors choose the intensity of the beam on personalized basis, enabling therapy with maximum adaptation to each patient’s case.


Brachytherapy is also used in laryngeal and pharyngeal cancers – this type of treatment involves placing a source of radioactive radiation in the tumor itself or in nearby tissues. Due to this, the negative impact extends only to the affected cells, the healthy ones are minimally affected.


Chemotherapy for throat cancer is used in the case of large tumors that have spread to other organs and lymph nodes. For a patient, suitable drugs are determined that will be effective in his particular case.


Targeted therapy – stops the growth of abnormal cells and prevents them from spreading. This is a targeted effect on certain molecules that cause activity of the neoplasm in the throat area — specialized drugs inhibit their activity.

    Most often, the patient is prescribed several treatment options in combination, which allows treatment to be carried out faster and with higher quality.

AFTER THE COURSE OF THROAT CANCER TREATMENT

Since most often such type of oncology as throat cancer is treated by surgical intervention, the first thing the patient will face is a recovery period. As mentioned above, sparing methods today are used in surgery, therefore rehabilitation usually takes place without complications. Each patient receives recommendations that will help avoid further problems, among the main ones:

  • Rejection of bad habits (alcohol and tobacco);
  • Maintaining a healthy lifestyle;
  • Reducing the risk of HPV (may be prescribed antiviral vaccination);
  • Regular visits to the attending physician.

After treatment for throat cancer, standard difficulties may arise, as many patient reviews indicate. These include weakness and psychological stress, pain and memory problems. All of these effects will be minimized, because doctors prescribe the necessary drugs to their patients, allowing them to neutralize negative factors after a course of therapy.

 

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