Throat cancer. Symptoms of the disease

Man is the only creature on earth who has a unique ability - the ability to speak. This possibility is associated with the special structure of an organ such as the larynx, which, in addition to the voice-forming function, performs a number of other equally important tasks: participates in the act of breathing, prevents the ingress of foreign elements into the trachea, bronchi and lungs. However, this structure is also susceptible to the onset of cancer, like any other. Throat cancer, the signs of which will be described below, takes the leading place in the frequency of tumors in the ENT organs. More often the cancer of the throat is affected by males, after 40-50 years.

Predisposing factors to cancer are:

• Prolonged smoking;
• Work in chemical plants or factories with a high content of dust,
• General unfavorable ecological situation. Residents of cities are several times more likely to suffer from malignant laryngeal formations than the rural population;
• Modern research has revealed that an important role in the development of this process is played by viral diseases and a lack of vitamin A;
• There are a number of diseases that can also lead to the development of cancer: papilloma, dyskeratosis (leukoplakia), fibroids, cicatricial changes after having suffered specific diseases or burns.

Because of the particular structure of the mucosa, the most common malignant tumor of the larynx is squamous cell carcinoma. It is found in 98 percent of all cases. From the department, which is affected by the tumor process (upper, middle, lower), the clinical picture and course of the disease depends.

What does throat cancer look like in patients' complaints?

When the neoplasm is localized in the upper vestibular part, patients complain of the presence of a foreign body, coughing, unrelated to infection, choking, increasing discomfort, pain and difficulty in swallowing, which subsequently lead to a refusal to eat. Throat cancer, the signs of which are so diverse, can easily manifest themselves in anatomical formations far from this structure. For example, with this pathology, there may well be pain or congestion in the ear.

The throat cancer, the signs of which are many-sided, behave differently in the middle anatomical part of the larynx, where the vocal cords are located . If in the first case the symptoms of the disease can not manifest themselves for a long time, then at once the slightest changes in the form of distortion of the voice, hoarseness or even complete aphonia become noticeable.

When the oncocells affect the lower subglottic area, there are complaints of shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. When the oncoprocess affects the upper or middle part of the larynx, due to the peculiarity of its growth (exophytic type, ie, external), it is possible to feel the compaction areas on the neck. The tumor of the lower part is more prone to endophytic growth. Most often, throat cancer, the signs of which may not be very pronounced, appear in the lining of the larynx, tends to rapidly flow and spread metastases to the regional lymph nodes. The cancer of the ligamentous region is less aggressive, and the tumors of the lining department are extremely rare.

At stage 0 of the throat cancer, the signs of which are not very pronounced, organ-preserving surgeries using laser surgery and subsequent radiotherapy are used. The forecast in this case is very favorable. Even in patients with stage 1 of the process, the same set of measures can achieve good results. In other cases, massive radiotherapy is accompanied with traumatic surgical operations and the use of cytotoxic drugs. Throat cancer of the 4th degree is practically incurable.