Cancer - throat or larynx

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Oropharynx

Throat anatomy

Vocal cord cancer; Throat cancer; Laryngeal cancer; Cancer of the glottis

Treatment is aimed at destruction of the cancer and prevention of spread of the cancer to other parts of the body.

When the tumor is small, either surgery or radiation therapy alone can be used to eliminate the tumor.

When the tumor is larger or has spread to lymph nodes in the neck, combination radiation and chemotherapy is often used to preserve the voice box and is successful in most cases.

Surgical removal of the tumor, including all or part of the vocal cords (laryngectomy) may be necessary in some cases. If a laryngectomy is required, a surgical prosthesis (artificial vocal cords) may be implanted, voice aids may be used, or speech therapy may be recommended to teach alternative methods of speaking.

Many patients also need swallowing therapy after treatment to help them adjust to the changes in the structure of the throat.

The stress of illness can often be eased by joining a support group of people who share common experiences and problems. See cancer - support group.

Throat cancers can be cured in 90% of patients if detected early. If the cancer has spread to surrounding tissues or lymph nodes in the neck 50-60% of patients can be cured. If the cancer has spread (metastasized) to parts of the body outside the head and neck, the cancer is not curable and treatment is aimed at prolonging quality of life.

After treatment patients generally need therapy to help with speech and swallowing. A small percentage of patients (5%) will not be able to swallow and will need to be fed through a feeding tube.

• Airway obstruction
• Loss of voice and speaking ability
• Disfigurement of the neck or face
• Hardening of the skin of the neck
• Difficulty swallowing
• Spread of the cancer to other body areas (metastasis)

Call your health care provider if symptoms indicate cancer of the throat, especially hoarseness or change in voice with no obvious cause that lasts longer than 1 week. Also call your health care provider if you find a lump in the neck that does not go away in 2-3 weeks.

Review Date: 05/03/2006
Reviewed By: William Matsui, MD, Assistant Professor of Oncology, Division of Hematologic Malignancies, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.