Recognizing Throat Cancer: What Are the Early Symptoms?

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Types of throat cancer

• Nasopharyngeal cancer, or cancer of the nasopharynx, begins in the nasopharynx, the part of the throat just behind the nose.
• Oropharyngeal cancer, or cancer of the oral cavity, begins in the oropharynx, the part of the throat that lies just behind the mouth and where the tonsils are located.
• Hypopharyngeal cancer, or cancer of the lower pharynx, begins in the hypopharynx, the lower part of your throat, just above your esophagus and windpipe.

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Early symptoms of throat cancer

• Getting a stuffy nose or frequent nosebleeds
• Swallowing problems, such as difficulty swallowing, pain when swallowing or frequent choking
• Lots of mucus in the throat
• Complaints in one or both ears, such as blocked ears, poor hearing, tinnitus
• A swelling in the neck
• Hoarseness, difficulty speaking and a changed voice
• Mouth and throat pain
• A sore or ulcer in the throat that does not heal on its own

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Later symptoms of throat cancer

• Difficulty moving the tongue
• shortness of breath
• Blood in the mucus
• Losing weight without a clear cause

Treatment

• Nasopharyngeal cancer is generally treated with radiotherapy, often in combination with chemotherapy. Surgery is also sometimes used, to remove glands after radiochemotherapy, for example.
• Bee oropharyngeal cancer surgical intervention will usually be performed initially, possibly supplemented with radiotherapy or a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
• In the lower part of the throat, a tumor is often only discovered later. hypopharyngeal cancer patients receive radiation and/or surgery.

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