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Symptoms and Treatments of Throat Cancer

lginger — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 17:23:49 +0000

A few additional symptoms of throat cancer include:

- any unusual pain in the mouth - bleeding - having loose teeth - foul-smelling breath - a certain change in the way that a person speaks - difficulty with breathing or swallowing - a stain of blood with the cough - earaches and other pain in the neck and throat area - weight loss - unusually tender lymph nodes

Diagnosis and Treatment of Throat Cancer

If a physician sees cancer symptoms in a patient, then the throat will be examined. Doctors will look for lumps in the affected area. For more serious cases and a more thorough examination, the laryngoscope is used to go through the larynx.

The stages of larynx cancer is checked by locating the area where the cancer is spread. The treatment is done so that a patient would have no trouble speaking or swallowing.

Radiation therapy, laser treatment and surgery are just some of the options to treat throat cancer. Depending on the stage that a person is in once the disease is diagnosed, then the applicable treatment will be applied.

The earliest stages of throat cancer have the most positive results when it comes to patient recovery.

Some diseases, called laryngopharyngeal reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease can be another cause of throat cancer. These diseases damage the lining of the esophagus, thus leaving a person more susceptible to larynx or throat cancer.

Just like most types of cancer, it is much better if the condition will be diagnosed early so that the treatment would be more effective.

There are other conditions or ailments involving the throat which are not so serious. However, if any of the symptoms persist or they do not heal in about two weeks, it is better to consult a medical professional because the person may be exhibiting throat cancer symptoms.

Types of Throat Cancer

lginger — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 21:49:17 +0000

Among the many types of cancer, there is a kind which distinctly affects a person’s vocal cords. Vocal cords may also be also referred to as a “voice box” or larynx. If this is the part affected, then a person could have throat cancer if a person exhibits signs of having larynx or throat cancer, then it is best to consult a medical professional as soon as possible so that the disease can be treated.

What is the Voice Box?

The “voice box” is medically known as the larynx. The voice box and the vocal cords lets air flow through the mouth and lungs. This air flowing through the larynx makes vibrations in the throat, and this is how sound is produced from the voice box.

Causes of Throat Cancer

The number one cause of throat cancer is smoking. The risk of having cancer of the larynx is greatly increased with excessive alcohol consumption.

Vitamin deficiency and a weak immune system, especially if caused by alcohol consumption, also increases the probability that a person would have throat cancer. Some job-related causes that may lead to throat cancer are the following:

- exposure to asbestos - overexposure to wood dust or fumes from paint - overexposure to petroleum-related chemicals - a virus called human papillomavirus or HPV

Throat Cancer Symptoms

The symptoms of cancer of the larynx include having a hoarse voice and sore throat. Do not just ignore a common sickness like cold or flu.

You will never know if these mighty be early symptoms of lung cancer. If a person has a lump in the mouth or if the sore throat symptoms do not heal after two weeks, then these may be signs of throat cancer.

Check out any unusual lumps or nodes in the neck because it might be a larynx tumor that is beginning to grow.

Larynx Cancer Symptoms

lginger — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 22:19:14 +0000

I’m sure not everyone knows that the throat is scientifically known as the larynx. Aside from the throat’s other moniker, it surely won’t hurt to know more important details about the throat, especially in terms of its medical conditions.

What exactly is the larynx?

The throat or larynx is that part of the windpipe, also known as trachea that is found on its uppermost. It is approximately five centimeters long and is also known as the “voice box”. Why voice box, you say? It contains the vocal cords. The vocal cords are those muscle tissue ridges that are V-shaped. They are found inside the larynx’s lining. To produce speech, as the air passes, these vocal cords vibrate.

For a more physical feel of it, try to feel your Adam’s apple. This is the prominent or protruded portion of the neck, which is just below your chin. The Adam’s apple is the front part of the larynx or throat.

To get into more details about your throat, here’s more of how it functions.

As one breathes, air gets into the larynx and goes down to the trachea going to the lungs. Upon swallowing, a slight upward motion is executed by the larynx. This way a cartilage tissue flap known as the epiglottis obstructs the entrance to the larynx. This epiglottis is found at the tongue’s back. This action makes sure that any swallowed food or drink goes down to the gullet or esophagus and not to the trachea. This is because if the food goes to the trachea, it will result to choking.

Now the gory part, what about delving into one dreaded medical condition of the throat known as throat or larynx cancer.

Usually, people over the age of 50 gets this disease. Those that are in the habit of smoking or excessive intake of alcohol are at greater risk of developing this kind of cancer.

As with many forms of cancer, it is mostly at its “curable” form when diagnosed at an early stage. Like many types of cancer, the more a cancer has grown and or spread, the less chance of treating it well.

Tell-Tale Signs of a Larynx Cancer

1. Hoarse Voice

This is usually the first sign that a larynx cancer is present. The reason behind this is that most throat cancers develops first on or near a vocal cord. But of course, not all people with hoarse voice have throat cancer. Oftentimes, it is also associated with simple laryngitis, which is an infection of the throat caused by a virus. What will tip off that it might be a throat cancer that your hoarse voice is trying to tell is that when your voice does not return to normal after two to four weeks.

2. Throat Lump or Lumps

Small nodes that develop around the throat may show even before having hoarse voice may warn about a throat cancer. This is especially true when the throat cancer does not start near the vocal cords.

3. Throat Discomfort upon Swallowing

Persistent pain when swallowing may be felt on the throat. And this can also warn one about the spreading of throat tumor, even before developing a hoarse voice.

4. Breathing Difficulty

The same (occurrence of lumps and pain) is true with having difficulty with breathing.

5. Other symptoms of throat cancer

Swelling of lymph nodes, mouth sores that don’t heal or decrease in size, red or dark patches or lumps inside the mouth, when the cheek thickens, difficulty to move or numbness of the tongue, weight loss that is not intended, difficulty to move or swelling and pain in the jaw, loosening or pain around the teeth, lumps in the neck, severe discomfort in an ear when one has a normal eardrum.

All those mentioned signs and symptoms may also be due to other medical conditions. So, it is still advisable to take tests to confirm that it is actually a throat cancer that is menacing the body of a person.

The Truth About Mouth Cancer

lginger — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 18:50:59 +0000

Nowadays, there are almost 100 different types of cancer that can develop in a person’s body. One type of cancer that is of a more serious nature is cancer of the mouth.

Mouth or oral cancer may affect the lips tongue and mouth area. The mouth is the first ‘tool’ that people use for digestion. This is why oral cancer can be considered quite serious because it affects the mouth which is used for food intake.

Mouth Cancer

The tongue, lips, the upper palate and the inside of the cheeks are considered to be included with the mouth area.

If a person has cancer of the mouth, there are a lot of neighboring regions that may be affected within the mouth and throat area.

This is why it is vital for the exact affected area to be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible so that the cancer cells will not spread.

Because of the location and nature of the mouth, it is susceptible to heat, injury and a lot of abrasion.

Cancer in the mouth will start once the cells within the area divide in an unusual manner and the beginning of a benign and a cancerous tumor forms.

The difference between a benign and a cancerous tumor is that a benign tumor does not have the tendency to spread out to other affected areas.

Once treated or removed, a benign tumor is not very likely to occur again. Meanwhile, a cancerous tumor can spread throughout the affected area and this is where treatment should come in.

If breast and uterine cancer mostly affect women, with mouth cancer, men are affected twice as much.

More people are affected by mouth cancer as the years pass. Some additional statistical data about mouth cancer are:

- Black people are more susceptible to mouth cancer than white people. - There are more cases of mouth cancer among the middle class to below average citizens. - Mouth cancer affects people who are about sixty years of age.

Mouth Cancer Symptoms

A person who has ulcers or abrasion on the lips, inner cheeks, gums and other areas within the mouth which do not heal in a couple of weeks might be exhibiting symptoms of mouth cancer.

Also watch out for unusual patches within the inner mouth or the outer lips.

Other symptoms include gum swelling, lumps in the mouth or gums, not being able to tolerate spicy food, difficulty with swallowing or chewing, earache, changes in speech, foul breath and a feeling of numbness, inexplicable pain or sudden bleeding on the mouth.

Consult a medical professional as soon as these symptoms are shown so that proper diagnosis may be performed on the affected area.

Causes & Preventive Measures

You may perform a self-check to see if you have mouth cancer symptoms.

Check your head and neck to see if there are any lump that was not there before.

Feel the side of your neck for lumps or a bruise-like tenderness. Stand in front of a mirror and open your mouth to check for abrasions in your inner cheek and the roof of the mouth.

Also feel for lumps when you check the inside of your mouth. Finally, stick your tongue out and check for any change in appearance with the top and underside of the tongue.

As soon as you see anything which is unusual with the lips, and the inside of your mouth, consult a medical professional.

Tobacco and alcohol are the main causes of mouth cancer. Leading a healthy lifestyle by avoiding these will help prevent mouth cancer.

Also, visit your dentist regularly so that the inside of the mouth may be checked for unusual lumps of growths. Finally, maintaining a good oral hygiene will help lower the risks of mouth or oral cancer.

Early detection has helped save the lives of many cancer patients so as soon as you see any of these symptoms, consult a medical professional because it never hurts to be careful. Also, it would help a lot if you can try to learn everything about mouth or oral cancer.

Cancer of the Lip

lginger — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 21:08:59 +0000

This tumor, usually called an epithelioma, occurs most frequently on the lower lip in men as a chronic ulcer. Predisposing factors may be chronic irritation of a warm pipe stem, or prolonged exposure to the sun and wind. More significantly, however, is the tendency for the “smoker’s patch” to progress to an epidermoid lip cancer. Any wart or ulcer of the lip that does not heal in 3 weeks should undergo biopsies.

Because the mouth is such an accessible and observable site, more intensive professional and patient educational programs are needed for early detection of mouth lesions that may lead to oral cancers. The nurse should urge the patient with a white patchy area, sore spot, or ulceration of lips, gums, or mouth that fails to heal after 2 weeks to see a physician.

Often the individual feels a roughened area with his tongue. Since pain is often one of the last symptoms to appear, a painless condition should not prevent further professional examination; this includes swelling, numbness, or loss of feeling in any part of the mouth.

Other symptoms of oral cancers may include:

1. Difficulty in swallowing 2. Mouth problems including soreness and excruciating pain 3. Unusual taste

All of these symptoms when experienced by an individual should seek medical advice at once. The only cure is surgery following early recognition of the condition. The enlargement of lymph nodes indicates metastases.

Clinical Management

The patient with oral cancer requires patience and understanding. Quite naturally, he tends to withdraw from people, is self-conscious about mouth odors, and is sensitive about his appearance. Thus, the immediate family need to be aware of their supporting role and in turn, should be informed of the plan of therapy for the patient.

Oral cancers could be very dangerous and fatal just like any cancers known. However, correct knowledge about the disease and instant medical action could just be the start of the road to recovery.

As they say, what you do not know will definitely hurt you. Therefore, it is best to take some significant information about oral cancers today.

Oral Cancer Facts

lginger — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 22:51:22 +0000

Leokoplakia buccalis, also called “smoker’s patch,” and the related keratosis labialis are seen in middle-aged adults, more than 80% of them men. These conditions are characterized early by the appearance of one or two small, thin, often crinkled, pearly patches on the mucous membrane of the tongue, the mouth, or both, due to “keratinization” of the mucosa and sclerosis of its underlying tissue.

Not frequently, cancers start in the keratonized patches.

Carcinoma may arise in any part of the cancer in this area, including cancer of the pharynx, accounts for 3% of all cancer deaths in the United States. Cancers in the mouth and the lips are commonly known as oral cancers.

Males are afflicted 3 ½ times more than females. Of the 7,000 oral cancer deaths annually, the distribution site is estimated as follows: lip (27%), tongue (22%), salivary gland (16%), floor of mouth (14%), other mesopharynx including tonsil (10%).

Squamous cell (epidermoid) carcinoma constitutes over 90% of all oral cancer. The next most common type arises from the submucous glands, adenocarcinoma. The third grouping includes malignancy of the jawbone. The year cure rate is below 30%.

Alternatively, most causes of oral cancers are not known. However, experts say that oral cancers can be prevented by good dental care and no smoking.

In tobacco chewers, the mucous membranes of the cheek are the commonest site. A jagged tooth and poor dental hygiene may be the cause. Betel and areca nut, used widely for chewing in South India is believed to be related to that country’s high incidence of oral cancer.