Throat cancer is a widespread oncological disease, it is registered in about six people per 100 thousand people. More susceptible to this pathology are men aged 40 to 80 years. Compared with women, they are 20 times more likely to suffer from throat cancer.
Throat Cancer - Causes
Doctors call several reasons that can cause throat cancer: eating hot, spicy, salty foods (causing systematic irritation of the mucous membrane), alcohol abuse, heredity, smoking, exposure to chemical carcinogens, lack of basic hygiene in the oral cavity, and the presence of chronic inflammatory processes in the larynx. Substances that cause the formation of immature, atypical cells in the body are called carcinogens. These bio compounds include a variety of aromatic substances, metals, plastics, alcohols, phenols, aldehydes, some alkaloids (e.g. nicotine), which can interact with the deoxyribonucleic acid of the cells, causing their malignant transformation. It should be said that not only chemicals can provoke the formation of carcinogenic cells, but also physical (ionizing radiation), hormonal (steroid hormones can cause breast cancer), biological (viruses) factors, we should not forget about the genetic predisposition of a particular person.
Precancerous diseases are divided into two groups. Obligatory (diseases with a high incidence of malignancy) - papillomatosis and papilloma. The second group includes optional diseases (with a low incidence of malignancy) - cyst, fibroma. Endogenous bioregulators - hormones play an important role in the development of these diseases.
There are three forms of tumor growth: papillary, nodular, infiltrative. Tumors are classified according to their location on: tumors of the vocal folds, vestibular, subglottic. Statistics show that more than 95% of all malignant tumors of the larynx are squamous cell carcinoma of the throat.
Throat cancer is characterized by the formation of a malignant tumor, which is localized in the tissues of the pharynx and larynx. Neoplasms in the pharynx and larynx are similar to each other (morphology, clinic), therefore they are considered in one section. In the process of progression, malignant neoplasms grow through the mucous membrane and affect the tissues of neighboring organs.
Since the neck area has a large number of blood and lymph vessels, this greatly complicates the treatment of the disease. The presence of abundant blood supply and many lymphatic vessels and nodes create favorable conditions for the development of a cancerous tumor and the formation of metastases. Throat cancer is usually localized in the nasopharynx, oropharynx, or in the larynx. Most often, a malignant tumor is recorded in the nasopharynx.
Many are interested in the question: how does throat cancer manifest itself ? The first signs of a cancerous tumor do not have clear clinical symptoms, so they can easily be confused with other diseases. Common symptoms include chronic pain in the larynx and ear, hearing loss, hoarseness, headaches, blood in the saliva, it is difficult for the patient to talk, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, bad breath, pain when swallowing. A visual examination of the oral cavity reveals the tongue on the mucous membrane and on the tongue. If this symptomatology is found, it is necessary to immediately consult experienced specialists.
The treatment is based on three methods: surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy. The last two methods are aimed at the destruction of undifferentiated cells. During surgery, a malignant tumor and neighboring lymph nodes are removed.