Information About Throat Cancer

Throat cancer is most easily described as any cancer which arises in the area of the throat, for instance in the vocal cords or in the larynx, that part of the body we often refer to as the voice box.

Smoking or chewing tobacco has been found to be one of the major causes of throat cancer. So easily preventable, yet so often ignored. Second hand smoke also has been found to be a cause of this cancer, that is being around someone who smokes or in an area where smoking has taken place.

Throat cancer occurs much more often in men than in women. Age seems to be a factor also, since most people who are diagnosed with this cancer are in their sixties or older. Medical professionals feel that their studies seem to indicate that the use of alcohol also can lead to this cancer.

Symptoms of throat cancer are such things as unusual breathing sounds, a persistent cough, often accompanied by coughing up blood, difficulty in swallowing, a long lasting hoarseness, pain in the area of the neck, persistent sore throats, swelling in the neck, a lump on the neck or a sudden, unexplainable loss of weight.

It is important not to ignore these warning signs. Throat cancer can be cured in ninety percent of its victims if it is caught in its early stages. It usually requires some form of surgery from a very simple form if caught it its early stages to more drastic measures later on. If the cancer has entered into the last stages, the surgery may well involve the removal of the larynx or some part of the throat which will result in the patient being unable to eat food normally.

Throat cancer is one that can quite often be prevented. Not smoking or using tobacco and minimizing ones intake of alcohol are major contributors to cutting down ones likelihood of getting this cancer. Although not all this cancers can be attributed to these things, the vast majority can be.