Throat cancer: signs, symptoms, how to know that you have cancer?

Symptoms

The initial manifestations of the disease resemble a common cold:

• sore throat that makes it difficult to speak or swallow food;
• feeling of the presence of a foreign body in the throat;
• swelling of the tonsils;
• change in voice - hoarseness or nasality;
• frequent headaches;
• general weakness, decreased performance;
• slight increase in body temperature;
• enlargement of the submandibular lymph nodes.

However, unlike a cold, the first symptoms of throat cancer do not go away within a week. The listed signs intensify, and over time they are added:

• light spots on the mucous membrane;
• small bleeding ulcers;
• chronic cough;
• ear pain without signs of otitis media;
• weight loss for no apparent reason;
• the appearance of a tumor in the neck;
• difficulties in pronouncing words due to decreased mobility of the tongue;
• labored breathing;
• nose bleeding

Causes of disease development

Acute and chronic throat diseases can occur for various reasons, among the most common are:

• microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi);
• gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD);
• allergens;
• adverse environmental impacts;
• voice overstrain;
• injuries;
• hypothermia;
• general decrease in immunity;
• smoking.

A combination of several reasons is possible. Their identification and elimination is an integral part of treatment.

Causes and risk factors

The mechanism that causes pathological changes in cells, due to which they begin to divide uncontrollably and uncontrollably, has not yet been precisely identified. However, today the factors contributing to the appearance of throat cancer have already been well studied. The main reasons are heavy tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption. In addition, the situation is aggravated by:

• being male;
• age over 40 years;
• living in a city with an unfavorable environmental situation;
• work in hazardous production;
• lack of vitamins and the predominance of meat in the diet;
• inherited predisposition to cancer;
• heartburn (gastroesophageal reflux);
• papillomavirus infection.

About 90% of patients with throat cancer are men aged 40-60 years, living in large cities and smoking at least a pack of cigarettes daily.

Causes of pharyngeal cancer

The following are the main causes of throat cancer:

How much do you have to smoke to get throat cancer? Studies conducted by scientists have found a connection between the number of cigarettes smoked per day, smoking experience and the likelihood of throat cancer. The higher the first 2 indicators, the higher the risk of cancer. Other forms of tobacco use also increase risk. There is a potential risk of laryngeal cancer in both smokers and those who chew tobacco. In individuals who have both of these habits, the risk of developing throat cancer increases by 3-4 times. Excessive consumption of strong alcoholic beverages is the first reason that increases the risk of developing the disease.

Laryngeal cancer associated with human papillomavirus has characteristic biological features. In its treatment, less aggressive organ-preserving chemotherapy regimens are used. How long does it take for throat cancer to develop? The process of transformation of normal cells into atypical ones is individual for each person. Throat cancer does not develop immediately. It is preceded by long-term precancerous diseases:

• Dyskeratoses of the larynx (leukoplakia, leukokeratosis);
• Pachydermia;
• Fibroma;
• Papillomas;
• Cysts;
• Chronic inflammatory processes in the larynx, which are accompanied by frequent alcohol consumption and smoking;
• Scars of the larynx as a result of illnesses or injuries.

The cause of the development of laryngeal cancer may be exposure to harmful factors at work, a weakened immune system, ionizing radiation, or gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Provoking factors are paints, wood dust, asbestos, sulfuric acid, nickel. How quickly does throat cancer develop? It may take months or years from the appearance of the first changes in the cells of the mucous membrane of the pharynx or larynx to the clinical stage of the disease.

Recently, in Russia there has been an increase in the number of newly diagnosed throat cancers. This is due to the influence of external and internal factors. Around the world, the statistics are no less comforting. Every year 15,000 new cases of pathology are diagnosed. The ratio of sick men to women is 1000:8.

Stages

The appearance of symptoms of laryngeal cancer is often preceded by a precancerous condition - dysplasia of the mucous membrane, which develops with constant irritation from cigarette smoke, strong alcohol or pollutants. If the irritating factor is eliminated, this condition often disappears on its own, otherwise a transition to the so-called zero stage of cancer is possible - in situ, or “in situ”, when pathological cells remain within the epithelial tissue. Subsequently, rapid growth and spread of the tumor occurs.

Otolaryngologists and oncologists distinguish four main stages of the disease.

1. The pathological formation remains within the original part of the larynx, spreading into the mucous membrane and submucosal layer. Symptoms are absent or subtle.
2. The tumor grows into all layers of throat tissue, but remains within the original region. Sore throat and voice changes appear.
3. The neoplasm penetrates into the tissues adjacent to the throat and regional lymph nodes. The sore throat intensifies, cough, ulcers and other characteristic symptoms appear.
4. The tumor grows so much that it becomes clearly visible on the neck. It grows into all surrounding tissues and metastasizes to nearby and distant organs. The patient's condition deteriorates sharply, and he is tormented by constant pain.

Anatomical structure

The oropharynx is a continuation of the nasopharynx, the middle section of the larynx. It starts from the hard palate and ends at the entrance to the larynx. The organ is connected to the oral cavity by the pharynx, and is separated by the palatine arches, soft palate and dorsum of the tongue. In this section the digestive and respiratory tracts intersect. The oropharynx contains:

• the back third of the tongue (its root);
• tonsils;
• posterior and lateral walls of the pharynx. The posterior wall is located at the level of the third cervical vertebra. The side walls connect to the eustachian tubes of the ears.

Diagnostics

If cold symptoms do not disappear within two to three weeks, you should visit an otolaryngologist as soon as possible and be diagnosed with throat cancer. The examination includes:

• laryngoscopy - examination of all parts of the larynx using an endoscope to detect pathological changes;
• biopsy of tumors for subsequent histological examination of cells to identify laryngeal cancer;
• X-ray of the esophagus and larynx to determine how deep the tumor has spread;
• Ultrasound of the neck to detect metastases;
• MRI of the larynx to clarify the size and topology of the tumor;
• immunological blood test to identify tumor markers.

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Treatment

Treatment methods for throat cancer are selected according to the size of the tumor, the degree of involvement of neighboring organs in the oncological process, the presence of metastases, and the general condition of the patient.

• Surgery is a radical and most effective method, which involves removing malignant tissue. In the early stages, surgery is used as an independent method of combating the tumor, in later stages it is used in combination with radiation and chemical therapy. Depending on the size of the tumor, the surgeon removes part of the larynx or the entire organ. In some cases, lymph nodes, cervical tissue and other anatomical structures affected by metastases are simultaneously removed.
• Radiation therapy is used after surgery to destroy residual cancerous lesions, and if intervention is not possible, as the main method of treatment. In some cases, radiation can destroy a small tumor without surgery.
• Chemotherapy is used before surgery to shrink the tumor, and in combination with radiation therapy to prevent recurrence after surgery. In advanced stages of cancer, chemoradiotherapy is used as the primary treatment to control tumor growth and symptoms.
• Targeted therapy in the early stages is used in combination with radiation therapy, in later stages - in combination with chemotherapy.

Survival prognosis

How long do people live with laryngeal cancer? When a patient is diagnosed with throat cancer, the prognosis directly depends on the location of the tumor and the extent of the cancer process.

Table No. 1. Survival prognosis depending on the location of the laryngeal tumor

Is throat cancer deadly? If the disease is recognized in a timely manner, there is a high probability that the disease can be defeated. The five-year survival rate for patients with stage 1 throat cancer is 85%. When stage 4 gora cancer is detected, the prognosis is less optimistic. If stage 4 throat cancer is detected, how long do they live? The five-year survival prognosis for patients with stage four laryngeal cancer is 20%. Much depends on whether the patient agrees to surgery to remove the larynx and vocal cords, which could render the person mute.

Long-term survival of patients with throat cancer has remained virtually unchanged over the past 20 years, but the quality of life of cured patients has improved significantly. If radiation therapy does not lead to the expected result, doctors at the Yusupov Hospital use preservation surgery methods that allow the patient to partially preserve speech.

Rehabilitation

Recovery after surgery to remove the larynx or part of it is a difficult and lengthy process. The patient cannot eat normally and is forced to take food through a tube, and cannot speak. After a certain time, when it becomes clear that the operation was successful, the patient’s larynx is restored and plastic surgery of the vocal cords is performed. To restore voice function, it is necessary to undergo a rehabilitation course, which includes special physical procedures, exercise therapy exercises, sessions with a psychotherapist, and training in new speech skills.

Questions and answers

What does throat cancer look like?

In the initial stages, cancerous growths may appear as small bumps located on the mucous membrane of the throat. Subsequently, as the pathologically altered tissue disintegrates, ulcers form in their place. Increasing in size, the tumor becomes noticeable from the outside, forming a characteristic bulge under the skin of the neck.

How do you know if you have throat cancer?

The presence of a cancerous tumor in the throat should be suspected when:

• voice changes - hoarseness, distortion of intonation, roughness;
• sensation of a foreign body in the throat;
• pain that worsens when swallowing;
• frequent nosebleeds.

If your throat hurts for more than two weeks and does not go away, you should immediately visit an otolaryngologist.

Is there a cure for throat cancer?

If detected early, throat cancer is completely curable in 85-90% of cases. Even in the most advanced cases, at least 20% of patients live more than five years. The earlier treatment is started, the higher the patient's chances of recovery.

Attention! You can cure this disease for free and receive medical care at JSC "Medicine" (clinic of Academician Roitberg) under the State Guarantees program of Compulsory Medical Insurance (Compulsory Medical Insurance) and High-Tech Medical Care. To find out more, please call +7(495) 775-73-60, or on the VMP page for compulsory medical insurance

Classification

Tumors in the oropharynx are divided into three types:

Figure 1. Leukoplakia

Figure 2.1. Erythroplakia

Figure 2.2. Erythroplakia

List of sources

• Kaprin A.D., Starinsky V.V. Malignant neoplasms in Russia in 2015 (morbidity and mortality) - M.: MNIOI im. P.A. Herzen branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "NMRRC" of the Ministry of Health of Russia, 2022.
• Malignant tumors of the head and neck. edited by Kropotova M.A.., Podvyaznikova S.O., Alieva S.B., Mudunova A.M. Clinical guidelines for the treatment of head and neck tumors of the National Oncology Network (USA) - M.: ABV-Press LLC, 2011.
• A.I. Paches, E.G. Matyakin. Tumors of the larynx. Tumors of the head and neck: hands / A.I. Paches. – 5th ed., add. and processed – M.: Practical Medicine, 2013.