Long Lasting Sore Throat May Suggest Throat (Larynx) Cancer

It is necessary to be careful if the sore throat, which can be seen as a symptom in many diseases, persists for a long time. Based on the research, the Ear, Nose, and Throat Diseases Specialist said that family physicians should also consider throat (larynx) cancer in the presence of symptoms such as shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing, and ear pain, which accompany prolonged sore throat.

Sore throats, which are common especially due to infections due to the cooling of the weather, can be an ordinary symptom, but in some cases, they can indicate more serious problems. One of them is cancer of the throat (larynx). In a study conducted on the subject, Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital ENT Diseases specialist said that more than 5 percent of throat (larynx) cancer was detected in cases where symptoms such as shortness of breath, swallowing difficulties, and ear pain were found together with a prolonged sore throat.

Beware of Pain Lasting Two-Three Weeks!

They said, "Family physicians should refer patients to otolaryngologists for further examination in sore throats that cause difficulty in swallowing, feel pain in the ear while swallowing, do not improve with treatment, and may be accompanied by shortness of breath." Explaining that this situation can be confused with different diseases, our specialist continued as follows: "Chronic pharyngitis, gastroesophageal reflux, dental diseases, and salivary gland diseases can also cause similar findings. The patient must be evaluated in detail in order to make a differential diagnosis. When there is a sign of hoarseness alone, the risk of throat (laryngeal) cancer is 2.7 percent, while in the presence of dyspnea, difficulty in swallowing, or ear pain while swallowing, this rate increases to over 5 percent. Therefore, the combination of hoarseness and sore throat is also a condition that increases the risk."

Who Is in the Risk Group?

The incidence of laryngeal cancers in the world is around 2-3 percent. It is the second most common in the head and neck region after skin cancers. According to 2015 data, explaining that the incidence rate of laryngeal cancer in Turkey is 2.6 percent in malignant tumors in males, the specialist said: "Smoking and alcohol users, those with gastroesophageal reflux, those fed a diet poor in fruits and vegetables, those exposed to human papillomavirus that can be transmitted through sexual intercourse constitute the risk group. However, laryngeal cancers are curable tumors. As with many types of cancer, early diagnosis increases treatment success in laryngeal cancer. Late diagnosis and late initiation of treatment lead to an increased rate of loss of life. Every year, 12,250 people are diagnosed with laryngeal cancer and 3,670 die as a result."

Localization of the Tumor Affects Its Course

In laryngeal cancers, the location of the tumor also affects the stage and symptoms diagnosed. In glottic tumors that involve the vocal cords, the diagnosis can be made earlier (stage 1) due to hoarseness, while the diagnosis can be made later (stages 2, 3) because the tumors that involve the upper level of the vocal cords and are defined as supraglottic and less common are more insidious. Our specialist, who explained that symptoms such as swallowing and trouble breathing are at the forefront in these tumors, said, "In supraglottic tumors, hoarseness occurs when the tumor spreads to the vocal cords at a late stage. In addition, if the disease spreads to the lymph nodes, a mass may also be seen in the neck. This finding is also a sign of the late stage. For this reason, the patients must go to the otolaryngologist and have their vocal cords and larynx checked in case of complaints such as hoarseness that exceeds two weeks, persistent sore throat and difficulty in swallowing, difficulty in breathing, and neck mass."

Laryngeal Cancers Can Be Cured

Yeditepe University Hospital ENT Diseases Specialist said that early diagnosis and treatment of laryngeal cancers is vital for both successful treatment of the disease and ensuring the quality of life, and gave the following information: "Treatment success is increasing in laryngeal cancers diagnosed early. In addition, since the location of the tumor is also important in terms of metastasis, it plays a decisive role. The 5-year survival rate in laryngeal cancers is 80 percent, while more successful results can be obtained in early-stage tumors settled in the vocal cords (glottic tumors). On the other hand, treatment success decreases in tumors that involve the upper and lower level of the vocal cords (supraglottic and subglottic tumors) and are detected at a later stage. In addition, the functional results of the treatment are closely related to the stage in which the tumor was detected. While more successful results are obtained in speech and swallowing functions in early-stage tumors, quality of life may be adversely affected due to tracheostomy in the late stage. Voice prostheses can be used to provide speech, or speech can be made using esophageal voice with therapy."