From Signs and symptoms to prevention: Here are crucial facts on throat cancer that we ignore

Dr. Catherine Nyongesa, an oncologist at Texas Cancer Center shares some insight on throat cancer

Throat cancer is often grouped into two categories: pharyngeal cancer and laryngeal cancer. It goes in stages (1 to 4) and life expectancy varies with stage at the time of diagnosis.

Signs and symptoms:

These include ; a change in your voice, trouble swallowing (dysphagia), weight loss, sore throat, constant need to clear your throat, persistent cough (may cough up blood), swollen lymph nodes in the neck, wheezing, ear pain and hoarseness.

Make a doctor's appointment if you have any of these symptoms and they do not improve after two to three weeks.

Diagnosis:

CT scan or MRI and biopsy will be done by the doctor if the symptoms persist. Chest x-ray if your doctor suspects that the cancer has spread to your lungs, you'll need a chest X-ray to check for abnormalities.

Regional prevalence:

It is among the top 10 cancers both locally and regionally. Men are more likely to develop throat cancer than women.

Causes:

Certain lifestyle habits increase the risk of developing cancer of the throat; tobacco smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and poor dental hygiene

Prevention:

Sometimes by avoiding tobacco smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and improving dental hygiene. Cancer can also occur randomly with no obvious risk factors and hence cannot be prevented.

Management:

Throat Cancer is curable if diagnosed early. If not it can be managed by optional surgery, chemotherapy and radio therapy. If one does not get treatment, they can succumb to it.

Help for patients can be gotten from major hospitals private and public, local and international.

Recent developments towards its management:

• Organ preservation therapy with radiotherapy and chemotherapy

• Targeted therapy e.g. cetuximab for selected cases.

These are available and are benefitting patients locally.