The first signs of cancer of the throat and larynx, its treatment

Throat cancer is a malignant formation that forms in the pharynx and larynx. The disease most often affects men aged 45 to 70 years, less often it is diagnosed in women and children. The disease is considered quite common and dangerous, so in order to start treatment in time, you need to know the first signs of a throat cancer. Contents: Causes of

Symptoms of

Stages of

Diagnosis of

Treatment of

Nutrition of

in children

Treatment with folk remedies

Forecast

Causes of

Major risk factors that contribute to the development of the disease:

• Smoking.
• Alcohol abuse.
• The male gender.
• Age over 60 years.
• Non-compliance with oral hygiene.
• Genetic predisposition.
• Work in hazardous production.
• Long professional speech workloads.
• Cicatricial changes in the throat after burns, injuries, tuberculosis or syphilis.

The development of the disease can cause the absence of fruits and vegetables in the diet, as well as the consumption of a large number of salted and over-salted foods. Another specific factor is the Epstein-Barr virus, which provokes the development of infectious mononucleosis.

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Symptoms The first signs of throat cancer are similar to the symptoms of colds, making it difficult to diagnose in the early stages. Common signs of the disease are:

• Lack of appetite.
• Anemia.
• Weight reduction.
• Sleep disturbance.
• Weakness, lethargy.
• Temperature rise up to 37.50С.

main signs that suggest throat cancer in women and men, are:

• The feeling of a lump in the throat, which can not be swallowed.
• Sensation of irritation in the throat and nasal cavity.
• Disturbance of swallowing and patency of thick food, periodic choking.
• Chronic dry cough.
• Unpleasant, unusual mouthfeel.
• Appearance of blood in the sputum, saliva.
• Putrid, unpleasant odor from the mouth.
• Changes in breathing, which is accompanied by a sense of difficulty and inadequate inspiration.
• Asymmetry and numbness of the lower facial parts.

Local symptoms depends on the tumor:

• Tumors in the oropharynx and throat accompanied anginopodobnymi pain in the neck at rest and during swallowing, nasal congestion, changes in language form, enlarged tonsils, submandibular lymph nodes, dental pain and bleeding, the hearing-impaired and the appearance nasally invoice.
• Over-binding localization of the cancer proceeds with severe pain during swallowing, which are given to the ear by the lesion;the feeling of an extraneous stabbing object in the throat, with perspiration;change in voice and constant pain.
• With localization in the vocal cords, there is complete loss of voice, hoarseness and sore throat, which are intensified when talking.
• If the tumor is in the subglottic region, then the patient has a constant shortness of breath, shortness of breath, discomfort in the throat during the passage of food.

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Stages of

• 0 stage - tumor formation of a small size, does not go beyond the mucosa. Detection of the disease at this stage is difficult, since it proceeds without the appearance of any symptoms.
• Stage 1 - a cancerous tumor grows beyond the laryngeal mucosa, but does not spread to nearby lymph nodes, tissues and other organs. Vibrations of the vocal cords and changes in sounds occur.
• Stage 2 - the cancer spreads to the department, which is located next to the larynx( for example, to the vocal folds from the lining department).Disturbances appearing in the work of vocal folds, cause a noisy breathing of the patient and hoarseness of the voice.
• Stage 3 - the tumor grows to all the walls of the larynx and can disrupt the mobility of one of the vocal cords. At the patient the expressed hoarseness of a voice or its full absence is observed.
• Stage 4 - cancers spread to the lymph nodes and other organs( metastases are formed).

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Diagnosis

The following diagnostic methods are used to detect throat cancer:

• Laryngoscopy - examination of the laryngeal cavity and vocal cords with the help of a special optical device. As a rule, laryngoscopy is performed in combination with a biopsy.
• Biopsy is the most effective method for diagnosing cancer. Using a needle, the patient takes a sample of tumor tissue, which is sent to a medical laboratory to detect cancer cells.
• CT( computed tomography) - performed after a biopsy, it allows you to obtain three-dimensional images of the tumor.
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Treatment

Laryngeal cancer therapy is a combination of several methods: surgical intervention, chemotherapy, radiotherapy( radiotherapy).In the complex treatment of throat cancer, hormonal and immunotherapy are also used.

Depending on the stage of development, localization of the tumor, age and health status of the patient, the oncologist performs a choice of the procedure of the operation and the necessary medications, as well as the permissible norm of radiation exposure.

Surgical removal of cancers is indicated at any stage of the disease. The following operations are available:

• Total( complete) laryngectomy - removal of the entire larynx.
• Partial( partial) laryngectomy - the removal of the larynx with the cancer in it.
• Chorectomy - removal of one or both ligaments.

Surface education uses laser surgery. Using a laser, the surgeon makes incisions and conducts the removal of the affected tissue.

Radiotherapy( radiotherapy) - irradiation of the tumor with X-rays. The method allows to achieve the elimination of cancer cells or stop the development of the tumor. It can be used as an independent method of therapy or in combination with drug or surgical treatment.

Chemotherapy for laryngeal cancer involves taking one or more medications of the cytostatic group that stop the division of cancer cells or kill them. In chemotherapy, Bleomycin, Methotrexate, Prospidin, Fluorbenzotef and other anti-inflammatory drugs are used.

A popular remedy is Erbitux, used in oncology to treat throat cancer. It does not allow the growth of cancer cells, is administered 1 time per 7 days intravenously under the supervision of an oncologist. Side effects include rash, fever, headache, vomiting. But they do not flow as much as after using chemotherapy.

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Nutrition

Special attention during treatment of throat cancer should be given to the diet. Compliance with diet and diet are aimed at restoring the body's defenses.

In case of cancer it is recommended to use:

• Porridge from oats, rice and buckwheat.
• Fruits( citrus fruits), any berries.
• Vegetables( all kinds of cabbage, tomatoes, onions, garlic).
• Vegetable oils.
• Soy and products from it.
• Almond, sunflower seeds.
• Fish.
• Eggs.
• Turmeric.
• Green tea, maple, birch and beetroot-carrot juices.

Prohibited products for throat cancer are:

• Flour products.
• Caviar.
• Sprouts of cereals.
• Spicy and smoked dishes.
• Products with a high level of sugar.
• Honey with an admixture of nuts.

In addition, it is necessary to reduce the consumption of fatty dairy products, butter and potatoes. Completely abandon alcoholic beverages and smoking.

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Children

Throat cancer in childhood is very rare. Basically, children are diagnosed with benign formations, and malignancies are observed in adolescents aged 15 years.

The main causes of throat cancer in children are:

• Hereditary predisposition to illness due to unhealthy lifestyle of parents( drug addiction, alcohol abuse, smoking).
• Complications of inflammatory diseases such as laryngotracheitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, syphilis.

Symptoms of throat cancer in children, as in adults, are initially similar to manifestations of colds, then they become more pronounced, there are constant pain in the larynx, difficulty swallowing, changing the voice timbre, etc.

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Treating folk remedies

Treating the diseaseat home, you can applyas an auxiliary therapy that will support the effect of medical methods.

• The mistletoe extract helps to remove swelling and mitigate the severe effects of chemotherapy. Prepare a decoction of 250 milliliters of pure cold water and 1 teaspoon of the plant. The resulting medicine should be divided into 4 parts and drink before meals for 20 minutes.
• Carrot juice due to the content of antioxidants and large amounts of vitamin A stops the spread of tumor cells of the throat to nearby tissues.
• The tea from the base is used to rinse the throat and mouth. It is necessary to make 1 teaspoon of the plant in 250 milliliters of boiling water and stand for 30 minutes.
• Calendula tea heals sores and wounds in the larynx and mouth.1 teaspoon of grass, pour 200 milliliters of boiling water. You can drink a drink 4-4.5 hours after brewing 50 milliliters 4 times a day.

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Forecast

After the complex treatment, the five-year survival rate for a cancer disease, according to statistics is:

• 0 stage - 95-100%.
• 1st stage - 77-81%.
• Stage 2 - 67-73%.
• Stage 3 - 51-55%.
• Stage 4 - not more than 25%.