Symptoms of Throat Cancer
Symptoms of the early stages of throat cancer may be hard to detect, especially since many of them coincide with a cold or seasonal allergies. Understanding the warning signs is key to early treatment, which can be the difference between life and death with cancer.
Throat cancer is divided into three main types:
- Laryngeal: This is cancer of the throat and larynx areas.
- Hypopharyngeal: This kind of cancer is found in the lower throat.
- Oropharyngeal: This cancer encompasses the mouth area, including the soft palate and back of the tongue.
Symptoms of throat cancer can be difficult to detect; in fact, throat cancer is usually found by dentists and ENT doctors who are trying to treat other conditions with similar symptoms. The symptoms of throat cancer are:
- Persistent cough
- Difficulty swallowing
- Hoarseness or other voice changes
- Ear or jaw pain
- White patches or sores in the mouth or throat
- A lump in the mouth, throat or neck
- Difficulty breathing
- Headaches
- Unexplained weight loss
- Swelling of the eyes, jaw, throat or neck
- Bleeding in the mouth or nose
While throat cancer may spread to nearby parts of the body, such as the lips or mouth, metastatic cancer is when it becomes wide-spread.
Metastatic cancer is a term many have heard. It refers to throat cancer that has spread from the throat to distant parts of the body. When throat cancer spreads, it’s most often found in the lungs, bones, distant lymph nodes.
The symptoms of metastatic throat cancer are dependent upon the part of the body to which the cancer has spread. For example:
- If the cancer is now in the lungs, the patient may cough up blood or have difficulty breathing
- If the cancer has spread to the bones, the patient may experience bone or joint pain
Causes and Risk Factors
Men are more likely than women to develop cancers in the throat.
Certain lifestyle habits can also increase your risk of developing throat cancer, including:
- Smoking
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Poor nutrition
- Exposure to asbestos
- Bad dental hygiene
Throat cancer has also been found to be connected to certain strains of human papillomavirus infections (HPV). According to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, those with HPV are at a greater risk of developing throat cancer.
If you are experiencing unexplained jaw pain or a sore throat that lasts longer than two weeks, you should schedule a visit with our head and neck cancer doctors in Los Angeles. We can examine your throat for signs of cancer. Early detection is the best thing you can do for throat cancer, so if you are in a high-risk group for this kind of cancer, don’t hesitate to contact an ENT doctor in Los Angeles at Westside Head & Neck if you start to exhibit symptoms.