If I Had Throat Cancer, How Would I Know?

ENT doctor looking for symptoms of throat cancer.

It’s impossible to self-diagnose cancer. But it’s definitely something you may worry about; you wouldn’t be the first to lose some sleep wondering whether your sore throat is caused by allergies or a more serious condition.

The truth is that only a physician will be able to accurately diagnose your symptoms. If you think you might be developing the early symptoms of throat cancer, it’s crucial to make an appointment.

What is throat cancer?

Throat cancer is something of a general term that describes a collection of cancers that can develop in different areas of your throat.

There are some similarities between many of these cancers. There are narrow, flat cells that line your throat called squamous cells. Usually, throat cancers will start in these cells, and the resultant cancer becomes referred to as a squamous cell carcinoma.

There are two types of these cancers:

  • Pharyngeal cancer: Your pharynx, which is the tissue behind your nose and mouth into your throat, is where these kinds of cancer start to develop.
  • Laryngeal cancer: This more rare type of cancer begins in your voice box, also called your larynx.

Types of pharyngeal cancer

Depending on the location, pharyngeal cancer is divided into three forms:

Hypopharyngeal: The bottom of the throat is the starting point of this form of cancer.

Oropharyngeal: The starting place of this cancer is the middle of the throat (as the syllable “oro” suggests) and behind the tongue including parts of the roof of the mouth. This type of pharyngeal cancer is the most common.

Nasopharyngeal: This cancer begins near the top of your throat, just behind the nose.

Some throat cancer symptoms

Your doctor will be able to inform you of the primary differences between all of these cancers and what they could mean regarding treatment and prognosis. But you may be wondering how symptoms appear and what they might disclose, especially if you’re at the point where you’re thinking about making an appointment. The possible symptoms of throat cancer may include:

  • Hearing loss in one ear.
  • Pain behind your nose or in your throat.
  • Persistently sore throat.
  • White or red patches in your throat.
  • Persistent ear infections.
  • Trouble swallowing, especially if it’s persistent.
  • A mass in your neck.
  • Chronic hoarse voice.
  • Swollen lymph nodes in the neck.
  • Tinnitus in one ear.

Risk factors for throat cancers

Of course, these symptoms could be brought on by several other common conditions.

It’s very common to develop conditions like hearing loss and tinnitus without having any cancer.

That’s why it’s helpful to assess risk factors while you’re thinking about symptoms. Your risk of developing throat cancer significantly goes up by the following:

  • Acid reflux, or a type of acid reflux called GERD.
  • Substantial alcohol use.
  • Smoking tobacco or using chewing tobacco: These activities have been connected to high throat cancer rates (as well as other cancers).
  • Malnutrition or inadequate nutrition.
  • HPV (human papillomavirus) infections.

The presence of these risk factors or a family history of throat cancer can be a strong indication that you should get checked out.

How is throat cancer diagnosed?

There are several approaches that physicians can use to diagnose throat cancer. We might biopsy questionable tissue or order imaging scans of varied varieties (like X-Rays or CT scans). In some cases, endoscopy will be used to enable us to get a better look at what’s happening in your throat. (An endoscopy might be performed under general anesthesia.)

We will be able to identify what tests and diagnostics are needed, if any, in your situation.

What happens after diagnosis?

What happens after the diagnosis will depend substantially on what we find. In many instances, what you thought was suspect will turn out to be quite benign. In other situations, we may find something more serious.

Early detection is crucial if it turns out that you’re experiencing throat cancer. Your life can be saved by treatment as some forms of throat cancer have a relatively good 5-year survival rate.

But the likelihood of a positive result increases the earlier your cancer is diagnosed. So make an appointment right away if you think that you or somebody you love may be experiencing the symptoms of throat cancer.

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.

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