Malignant neoplasms in the nasopharynx area begin to develop after the onset of a focus of inflammation and pathological proliferation of epithelial cells in the larynx region. Throat cancer is most commonly diagnosed in men, while it is less commonly diagnosed in women. The likelihood of a swelling in the throat increases significantly in those people who smoke, abuse alcohol, by the nature of their activities are often in highly polluted and dusty rooms, do not follow the rules of oral hygiene.
Causes of occurrence
Malignant neoplasms that cause swelling of the throat affect the lining of the nasopharynx and larynx. The tumor itself is not so dangerous. A great danger to human life is the rapid multiplication of pathogenic cells and damage to nearby organs and tissues. Moreover, without the influence of extraneous factors, throat cancer develops quite rarely. So, often the disease is preceded by characteristic signs, indicating the development of a pathogenic process.
The root cause of throat cancer can be:
- prolonged, frequent and untreated inflammatory infections of the nasopharynx;
- throat cysts and fibroids;
- scars as a result of injuries to the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx;
- papillomas, pachyderma and other benign neoplasms.
People with an increased risk of throat cancer include those who:
- abuses alcoholic beverages;
- has many years of experience as a smoker;
- ignores the rules of oral hygiene;
- has untreated chronic throat conditions;
- genetically predisposed to the development of a tumor in the throat;
- has reached the age of more than sixty years;
- works in hazardous industries, for example, paint and varnish factories, in contact with chemicals;
- lives in large industrial cities;
- consumes a large amount of too spicy foods, smoked meats, while excluding fresh vegetables and fruits from the diet.
Signs of the disease
Often, when a tumor of the larynx occurs, the symptoms are ambiguous and do not allow us to unequivocally assert the presence of throat cancer. Therefore, experts identify a number of fairly general signs, in the event of which one should consult a doctor and carry out a set of diagnostic procedures to prescribe the correct treatment.
Common signs of a swelling in the throat:
- painful sensations when swallowing food and saliva, perspiration, hoarseness;
- feeling of the presence of a foreign object, tightness in the throat;
- deterioration in the work of taste buds;
- restless sleep, insomnia;
- hearing system disorders;
- lack of appetite, and, as a result, sudden weight loss;
- fatigue, apathy;
- in the later stages of tumor development, a swelling in the throat may appear;
- dryness in the nasopharynx, barking cough;
- secretion of sputum mixed with blood.
Important! Often, symptoms such as persistent hoarseness and barking dry cough are attributed to the consequences of smoking, while these symptoms are the most common manifestations when a tumor of the larynx occurs.
Types of throat cancers
In order to choose the right treatment, it is necessary to characterize the manifestations of the disease in order to determine the type of cancer that has arisen in the nasopharynx.
The most common types of laryngeal cancer include:
- squamous non-keratinizing tumor;
- squamous cell keratinizing tumor;
- highly differentiated squamous cell tumor.
1. When a disease of the first type occurs, the symptoms characterizing in this case a laryngeal tumor are characterized by the rapid development of the disease and the extensive spread of metastases that deeply penetrate the tissues of neighboring organs. This type of throat swelling is the most common. For a squamous cell non-keratinizing tumor, development is characteristic of the upper part of the throat, as well as in the tissues of the laryngeal ventricle. As a result of the development of this type of tumor, the lumen in the larynx narrows, which can cause shortness of breath, hoarseness, and loss of voice.
2. This type of malignant tumor affects cells that are able to keratinize over a period of time. Unlike a non-keratinizing tumor, keratinizing is characterized by slow development, as well as an almost complete absence of metastases.
A keratinizing tumor occurs most often near the vocal cords and the lower throat. It is the second variant of localization of cancerous neoplasms that is considered the most dangerous for human life, since in this case, the rapid spread of pathogenic cells is observed. It should be noted that keratinizing cancer is very difficult to diagnose, so there is a risk of too late detection and delay in starting treatment.
3. A feature of a highly differentiated squamous cell tumor in the throat is that a large number of cells of healthy tissues are involved in its growth and spread. That is why the therapy of this type of malignant tumor causes the greatest difficulties and takes quite a long time. In this case, the tumor affects the suprafold region of the pharynx, where the growth of pathogenic cells and their spread occurs as quickly as possible.
Development stages
When a malignant neoplasm occurs, the patient's condition is constantly deteriorating, the disease progresses, accompanied by an increase in the size of the tumor. Oncologists distinguish several main stages in the development of cancer:
- Zero stage.
- First stage.
- Second stage.
- Third stage.
- Stage four.
1. Stage zero of a malignant neoplasm in the nasopharynx is diagnosed extremely rarely. The thing is that at this stage of tumor development, the symptoms are poorly expressed, so the patient does not pay due attention to them at first.
At the earliest stage of tumor development, inflammation affects a small area of the throat surface, so a person does not experience painful and unpleasant sensations.
The prognosis for the treatment of a malignant tumor at the initial stage of the development of the disease is positive and amounts to about 95-100%.
2. The first stage of development of a throat tumor has characteristic symptoms:
- sensation of a foreign object in the throat;
- burning in the throat when swallowing saliva, food, when talking;
- the tumor grows in size, spreading beyond the larynx.
Despite the rapid progression of the malignant neoplasm, at the first stage of tumor development, there is no damage to nearby tissues, and metastasis is also not observed. The prognosis at this stage of the development of the disease is also positive and amounts to more than 75%.
3. If the disease has reached the second stage of development, then at this stage:
- a cancerous neoplasm extends beyond the throat area, affecting adjacent organs and tissues;
- the patient feels hoarse;
- violations in the work of the speech apparatus are manifested.
At the second stage, metastases are also not yet observed. The prognosis of survival in this case is about 70%.
4. Intensive spread of the tumor beyond the larynx region, germination of the throat walls, significant deviations in the work of the vocal cords - these symptoms indicate the transition of the disease to the third stage of development. In addition, the patient is also worried about the following symptoms:
- discomfort in the pharyngeal region, since the size of the tumor is rapidly increasing;
- constant hoarseness;
- dry, annoying cough;
- soreness even when swallowing saliva;
- constant feeling of a foreign object in the throat;
- at this stage, the patient may stop talking completely.
In the diagnosis of stage III pharyngeal cancer, experts distinguish two more intermediate stages:
- stage 3A is characterized by the spread of the malignant neoplasm beyond the throat, while metastasis does not occur;
- Stage 3B is characterized by the spread of the tumor to adjacent tissues of the pharynx, and several cancerous metastases are also observed.
The prognosis of survival in this case is approximately 50%.
5. The last, fourth stage of the development of a malignant throat tumor is characterized by more pronounced symptoms:
- loss of voice;
- severe pain when swallowing;
- cough;
- a significant increase in the size of the tumor, spread to neighboring organs, damage to the lymph nodes.
The prognosis for recovery in this case is not high, about 25%.
Diagnostic methods
In order to prescribe the correct treatment to the patient, it is necessary to carry out a number of diagnostic procedures. Throat cancer diagnostics usually include the following procedures:
- visual examination of the oral cavity, throat, larynx, which can reveal the presence of a neoplasm, however, this diagnostic method is effective in the later stages of the disease;
In the early stages, the symptoms of a malignant throat tumor are identical to those of other infectious diseases, which often complicates the diagnosis and leads to incorrect and delayed treatment.
- fibrolaryngoscopy, laryngoscopy - examinations of the larynx surface, carried out with a special device - an endoscope, while the doctor also has the opportunity to take a piece of tissue for analysis;
- biopsy - analysis of tissues taken from the affected area for their belonging to a specific type of disease, which allows prescribing the most effective treatment;
- throat x-ray;
- computed and magnetic resonance imaging to determine the localization of metastases, their number and analysis of the size of the tumor.
Treatment
Thanks to the development of modern medicine and the achievements of oncologists, today malignant neoplasms affecting the nasopharynx area are not a death sentence. Especially if treatment is started in the early stages of the disease.
For the treatment of a tumor in the throat, a number of methods are used that, in combination, can prolong the life of the patient.
Chemotherapy. This method of treatment is most often used as one of the stages of complex therapy or precedes an operation. For chemotherapy, special drugs are used that have a depressing effect on tumor cells, which leads to a gradual decrease in their number and the intensity of division. Moreover, it is possible to influence both locally, directly on the site of tumor localization, and on the entire body as a whole.
Radiation therapy. In this case, a method of direct exposure to cancer cells with special high-frequency radiation is used. Due to the fact that radiation affects the lesion, a large number of pathogenic cells die. Treatment with radiation therapy significantly slows down the growth and development of a malignant tumor, or leads to a complete inhibition of pathogenic cells.
High-frequency radiation is directed to the affected area in two ways:
- internal exposure - radioactive components are introduced into the area of the neoplasm using a catheter or injections;
- external influence - in this case, the effect on the tumor is carried out by a directed flux of radiation.
The method of treating a malignant tumor using radiation therapy is one of the most effective methods. However, this method has a number of contraindications:
- damage to the cartilaginous tissues of the nasopharynx region;
- germination of neoplasms into blood vessels and esophageal tissue;
- not recommended for patients with severely weakened immunity.
At the later stages of the development of the disease, the method of radiation therapy, as well as chemotherapy, precedes surgery.
Surgical treatments. This method of treating cancers of the larynx is also effective. Most often, the operation is indicated in the early stages of the disease or in complex therapy. Together with radiation therapy, surgical intervention allows you to eliminate possible metastases, which will prevent the possibility of further spread of pathogenic cells. Surgical intervention can be carried out using the laser method, which allows you to make a bloodless incision in the tissues of the pharynx and remove the focus of inflammation.
Prevention
As noted above, the risk of developing malignant neoplasms in the throat increases significantly in people with bad habits. Therefore, quitting smoking, alcohol and other addictions can be attributed to one of the most effective ways to prevent the disease.
Eating a healthy diet is also an important preventative measure for laryngeal cancer. The use of healthy fortified food products, the exclusion of spicy, smoked, too salty foods significantly reduces the likelihood of developing malignant neoplasms.
Another important preventive measure is timely examination.
Any deterioration in health (sore throat, cough, hoarseness), not associated with infectious diseases, should be the reason for consulting an oncologist.
