Larynx Cancer
What is Larynx Cancer?
The larynx is the voice box. It is made up of the glottis, which is the vocal cords, the area below (subglottis) and the area above (supraglottis) the vocal cords. Any of the cells lining the larynx can become cancerous.
How common is Larynx Cancer?
In men, the number of new cases of larynx cancer diagnosed in the last 5 years has been decreasing compared to the time before. It is six times more common in men than women.
Risks and Causes
Smoking is one of the commonest risk factors associated with larynx cancer. Alcohol consumption is also a risk factor. Smokers who also drink alcohol have a much higher risk of developing larynx cancer than persons who only smoke or who only drink alcohol.
Symptoms and Signs of Larynx Cancer
A person should seek early medical attention if he has a persistently hoarse voice or a persistent sore throat, a painless lump in the neck, pain on swallowing, difficulty swallowing, or noisy breathing known as stridor. As cancer can spread to other organs in the body, in the very late stages there may be symptoms from the lungs or bone.
Diagnostic Tests
If larynx cancer is suspected, the doctor will examine for swelling or lumps in the neck. An angled mirror that faces downwards is placed against the back of the throat (the palate) to examine the voice box and surrounding organs. Or a flexible tube, less than a cm in diameter, is passed into one of the nostrils to the back of the throat to look for lumps or ulcers in the voice box and surrounding areas.
Treatment of Larynx Cancer
Early stage cancers of the larynx are treated with radiotherapy and this allows the patients to have their voice boxes preserved. Seventy to 95 % of patients treated this way achieve local control. Those who fail are salvaged by surgery. More advanced tumours may be treated with radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy or surgery followed by radiotherapy. Patients who have had their larynxes removed by surgery can continue to speak in one of three ways:
- Oesophageal speech (using air from the stomach)
- Amplification by a electronic device placed against the neck while speaking or
- Having a prosthetic device inserted into the tracheostome.
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