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Throat Cancer Symptoms and Treatment

Throat Cancer

NCERT Solutions

Throat Cancer Symptoms: It is a group of several cancers that occur in the voice box, vocal cord, tonsils, oropharynx (middle part of the throat) or other parts of the throat.

It starts in the cells that are in your throat. Throat cancer is most common in people who smoke and drink alcohol.

Throat cancer status in India: Throat cancer is the seventh most common cancer in India. Throat cancer accounts for 3-6% of all cancer cases in India. This affects more men than women.

Throat cancer can be treated in a number of ways, such as surgery to remove tumors or drugs to destroy them. The sooner it is diagnosed, the more likely the throat cancer treatment is to be successful.

Throat Cancer Symptoms

The early symptoms of throat cancer can be similar to the early stages of a cold, cough, or a common throat problem (eg, persistent sore throat). If sore throat and hoarseness persist for more than two weeks, consult a doctor immediately.

If you have throat cancer, you may have the following symptoms:

If you have these symptoms and do not get better, talk to your doctor but keep in mind, many other diseases can cause such symptoms.

Throat Cancer Causes

When abnormal changes in the DNA of certain cells in the throat cause them to divide uncontrollably and grow. The accumulation of such cells becomes a cancerous tumor in the throat, which is called throat cancer.

It is not yet known why this change occurs. But there are some factors that increase the risk of throat cancer such as smoking more cigarettes and drinking alcohol. Other factors are given below.

Factors that increase the risk of throat cancer

Certain diseases

Prevention

There is no sure way to prevent throat cancer but you can reduce your risk in the following ways:

1. Don’t smoke

Use cigarette cessation products like nicotine patches or chewing gum, or talk to your doctor about cigarette/bidi cessation medications to help you quit cigarette/bidi.

2. Stop or reduce drinking

Although drinking alcohol is very bad for your health, still, if you drink alcohol, then drink in limited quantities or it is better to stop drinking alcohol altogether.

3. Maintain a healthy lifestyle

Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and low-fat meats and reduce sodium intake. If you are overweight exercise at least 150 minutes a week.

4. Reduce the risk of HPV

HPV is known to cause throat cancer. To protect yourself from this, limit the number of sex partners you have and practice safe sex.

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Diagnosis

To diagnose throat cancer, your doctor will first ask about your symptoms and perform a physical exam. He will also feel a lump in his throat.

You may need to have any of these tests:

1. Endoscopy

In endoscopy, the doctor examines your throat by inserting a thin flexible tube with a camera in front of it (endoscope), down your throat.

2. Biopsy

In a biopsy, your doctor will use surgery, an endoscope, or a needle to remove a piece of tissue from your throat and test for cancer.

3. Imaging test

X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and PET scans can show whether cancer has spread beyond your throat to other parts of your body.

Treatment

To treat throat cancer surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy are used. In some cases, you may need more than one treatment, depending on the stage of cancer and your health. Your doctor may select an option that will be appropriate for you.

The following are the treatments for throat cancer:

1. Radiation therapy

Radiation, X-rays or other sources use a beam of high energy to kill cancer cells. For tumors that are small and diagnosed early, you may only need radiation treatment. For advanced stages, your doctor may apply another treatment with radiation therapy.

2. Surgery

Several types of surgery are used to remove a throat tumor. Depending on the size and location of the tumor the doctor may use an endoscope.

In case of a large tumor, your doctor may remove some portion of your throat and then fix it so that you can swallow normally. Tumors on the larynx may require you to have part or all of the larynx removed.

If cancer has spread to your neck, you may also need to have lymph nodes removed.

3. Chemotherapy

Your doctor uses chemotherapy drugs to kill cancer cells. It is sometimes used to shrink the tumor before surgery or to eliminate the last cancer cells after surgery. It can also help make the treatment more effective.

4. Targeted drug therapy

For some throat cancers, doctors may use newer drugs that eliminate the nutrients needed for the tumor to grow.

Complications

Some of the common complications of throat cancer are:

Throat Cancer Types

Throat cancer is a type of cancer that occurs in the throat or voice box. The voice box is located at the bottom of the throat.

Although most types of throat cancer consist of the same type of cells, cancer is divided into different types depending on the parts of the throat.

These types are as follows:

1. Pharyngeal cancer – The three main types of pharyngeal cancer are as follows:

2. Laryngeal cancer – The three main types of laryngeal cancer are as follows:

Throat Cancer Stages

If your doctor finds cancer cells in your neck, they will do an additional test to identify the stage of your cancer.

These steps are as follows:

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