Throat Cancer: What It Is & How A Specialist Can Treat It

Health & Medical Blog

Does the sound of your voice seem unusual, along with a constant sore throat? The problem may stem from you having throat cancer, which means you may have to undergo throat surgery to treat it. In this article, learn what you need to know about throat cancer and how a specialist may treat it.

What Is Throat Cancer?

Throat cancer is a health condition that can form when the cells in your throat become mutated. It is natural for cells in the body to die at some point, but mutated cells can continue living for long periods of time. As the cells fail to die, they simply accumulate and can form a tumor in your throat. The tumor can get large and cause health problems. A few of the symptoms associated with throat cancer include:

  • Weight loss
  • Pain in the ears
  • Constant coughing
  • Problems swallowing

Throat cancer can make your voice sound hoarse, and it is easy to simply assume that the change in your voice is associated with some other illness. The best thing for you to do is get an examination performed for a proper diagnosis. Treating throat cancer in the early stages of development is the best way to get rid of it before serious health problems occur. A specialist can perform an endoscopy procedure that will allow him or her to look inside your throat. A biopsy can then be performed to get a sample of the abnormal cells for testing.

How Can a Specialist Treat Throat Cancer?

One treatment method that may be used is laser surgery, but it will depend on the size of the tumor and where it is located in your throat. Laser surgery will basically begin with the specialist placing you under sedation. He or she will then use an endoscopy camera so the inside of your throat can be viewed during the procedure. After the endoscopy camera is in place, a laser device will be inserted in your throat to get rid of cancerous cells. You may also have to undergo radiation treatment for throat cancer.

Don't just assume that you are getting a simple cold when you get a sore throat and hoarseness that do not seem to go away. You may have a tumor growing in your throat that will only get larger if you don't seek treatment. Make an appointment with a specialist to find out if you have throat cancer so it can get treated. Contact a clinic such as Eastern Carolina Ear Nose & Throat-Head for more information.

Share

3 April 2015

Outstanding In-Home Care

When my mother fell at home and broke her hip, we all thought that we were going to have no choice to put her in a nursing home when she got out of the hospital. My mother had always asked us kids to avoid putting her in any kind of home, but we didn’t know what else we could do. None of us were capable of giving her the kind of rehabilitation and care that she needed. Then her doctor suggested that we find out if her insurance covered in-home care. I didn’t even know that that was an option. I was pleased to discover that in-home care was covered by her plan. Now she gets great care from nurses and nurse assistants that come right to her in her home, where she wants to be. It’s a great option, and I’m so glad we have it.