Cancer of the larynx: first signs and symptoms, photo of the initial stage

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Malignant neoplasm, laryngeal cancer begins its development with a pathological proliferation of epithelial tissue in the larynx.

Having expressed character, this disease is most often diagnosed in the male half of the population - women suffer from this form of cancer 15-20 times less often;However, with the wide spread of smoking among both men and women, laryngeal cancer has become increasingly more affected by the female part of the population.

What is laryngeal cancer?

This type of malignant disease develops on the mucous membrane of the throat, nasopharynx and larynx, and its main danger is rapid aggressive development and the possibility of germination into adjacent organs.

The following diseases can become the root cause of laryngeal cancer:

• long and not completely cured inflammatory processes of the throat;
• cysts and fibromas of the larynx;
• trauma and scars on larynx tissues;
• papilloma and pachydermia.

What are the causes of the onset of this disease and what can become a provoking factor in its development?

Causes of

Since most often laryngeal cancer occurs with smoking, is one of the most common causes of onset of oncology of the larynx.

This condition is also common among people who abuse alcohol, do not pay enough attention to oral hygiene, if the inflammatory processes in the body and throat are not cured, and if there is a predisposition due to heredity, the risk of laryngeal cancer can increase several fold.

This disease is also the most common among people who have crossed the 60-year mark. Harmful production refers to the causes, which can also cause oncology in the area of ​​the throat and larynx.

To such kinds of harmful manufactures it is necessary to carry a paint and varnish, repair, chemical and other kinds of manufactures with allocation of a considerable quantity of harmful substances. This includes work with radioactive substances and the presence of irradiation for a long period.

The presence of tumors in the head or neck area should also be considered as one of the reasons for the formation of laryngeal cancer. An important negative factor is living in large megacities - poor ecology and air pollution by industrial waste can trigger the onset of cancer.

According to unconfirmed data, this disease can provoke a lack of nutrition of fruits and fresh vegetables, as well as excessive consumption of sharp and smoked products. An additional cause of cancer of the larynx can be mononucleosis.

First signs of throat and laryngeal cancer

Cancer of the larynx has no clear manifestations peculiar to this disease. Therefore, there are a number of common signs that should attract attention and serve as a reason for conducting the diagnosis.

For men and women, the manifestations of this disease may vary slightly. And this is due to the fact that since one of the main causes of cancer in this area is smoking and this habit is abused for the most part by men, the symptoms characteristic of smokers are more common among men.

Symptoms in women

Common symptoms of laryngeal cancer at an early stage in women include:

• the appearance of soreness in the throat;
• worsening swallowing due to a feeling of foreign body in the throat;
• decrease in gustatory sensations;
• a gradual or abrupt loss of voice, which is called aphonia;
• dry cough of prolonged course;
• worsening of night sleep;
• hearing impairment;
• loss of appetite and associated weight loss;
• general deterioration: headaches, insomnia, irritability;
• appearance of swelling in the neck and throat.

These manifestations can not be considered specific for this disease, but their gradual progression should be a reason for a more careful analysis of their health.

Symptoms in men

Because most men are more prone to excessive smoking and alcohol abuse, a superficial dry cough may be added to the symptoms already described.

Sputum may contain blood veins, and nasal discharge contains either significant traces of blood, or minor.

Types of

This form of cancer of the throat and larynx can have several main varieties that differ in manifestation and approaches to their treatment.

Consider types of laryngeal cancer more closely:

1. Squamous nonkeratinized laryngeal cancer.
   • This type of cancer of the larynx develops from the non-coronary cells of the laryngeal mucosa. Its flow is rapid, and actively expanding metastases can penetrate deeply into adjacent tissues of neighboring organs.
     This type of cancer of the throat and larynx is most common;a feature of it is development in the upper half of the throat( epiglottis) or in the tissues of the ventricle of the larynx, with the appearance of swelling in one part with its gradual expansion into the second half of the larynx. In the process of developing a tumor of this type, the laryngeal lumen decreases noticeably, dyspnea and loss of voice in the patient gradually appear.
2. Squamous squamous keratinizing.
   • This kind of cancer occurs on cells that have the property of orgoving for a certain time. A feature of its development is the slow course and almost always the absence of metastases.
     Orthogenic cancer can be observed in the area of ​​the human vocal cords. And the most dangerous form of squamous cell carcinoma is considered to be developing in the lower parts of the throat - its rapid spread and significant metastasis is observed. In this case, finding it difficult, which makes the beginning of treatment is too late.
3. Highly differentiated squamous cell.
   • This type of cancer of the throat and larynx differs in its development and distribution of a significant number of healthy tissues, so the treatment of this form of the disease is the most complex and lengthy.
     The most common cancerous area is the lining of the larynx, where the development of all cancers occurs as quickly as possible with the formation of a significant number of metastases.

What are the stages of development of this disease and what are their external manifestations?

Stages of cancerous tumors

As the disease progresses, it gradually modifies, with an increase in the size of the affected area and a greater severity of the symptoms of the disease.

There are several main periods of cancer of the larynx.

Zero

The earliest stage of the cancerous tumor is swollen in the throat and larynx region, and the treatment of the disease begins at a later stage, when the positive prognosis is small enough.

The zero stage of laryngeal cancer is characterized by the appearance of an insignificant area of ​​ulceration of the laryngeal mucosa surface, the patient usually does not experience any subjective sensations.

The photo shows typical signs of the initial stage of throat and laryngeal cancer

Positive prognosis at the zero stage is 95-100%( five-year survival is taken into account).

The first

At this stage, the first manifestations of the disease appear, like a feeling of throat obstruction, there may be some soreness in swallowing and talking. The cancerous tumor grows and gradually goes beyond the laryngeal mucosa.

Lesions of neighboring tissues have not yet begun, the localization of a cancerous tumor is one section of the larynx, where the development of cancer cells began;There is also no metastasis.

Prognosis( 5-year survival) in the first stage of laryngeal cancer is 75-85%.

The second stage of

The second stage is characterized by the release of a cancerous tumor beyond the limits of one section of the larynx, the areas of the adjacent sections of the throat and larynx are already affected, throat hoarseness, speech quality deterioration.

Metastases are not observed. The five-year survival rate at this stage is about 80%.

Third degree

At this stage, the tumor grows outside the larynx, the laryngeal wall is often sprouted, and there is a significant loss of mobility of the vocal cords. The size of the tumor greatly increases, which causes the appearance of pronounced sensations that are uncomfortable for the patient.

Externally, this degree of development of the disease is characterized by a constant hoarse voice, coughing, soreness and throat obstruction when talking and coughing. The voice may completely disappear.

The third stage of the development of the disease has two intermediate stages:

• 3A - the growth is swollen outside one larynx, the growth of the larynx walls, but there is no spread of cancer beyond one department. A part of the larynx may be immobile.
• 3B - here there is sprouting into the adjacent tissues of the larynx, and also one fixed or several mobile metastases of cancer can be detected;

The prognosis of five-year survival in the third stage of cancer development is not more than 50%.

Fourth

This stage of cancer development is often characterized by loss of voice, pronounced soreness in talking, swallowing, coughing.

The prognosis of five-year survival at this stage is already lower and is no more than 25%.

There is a significant increase in the volume of a cancerous tumor, its germination into neighboring organs, as well as damage to adjacent lymph nodes.

The fourth stage of laryngeal cancer has several sub-stages of its development:

• 4A - the «thawing» of the larynx occurs during the germination, they are swollen in the tissues of neighboring sections due to the appearance of a large number of metastases;
• 4B - further penetration of the tumor into neighboring organs;
• 4B - the spread of fixed metastases to the lymph nodes;
• 4G - there is a further proliferation of tumor tissue and can occur distant metastases in other organs. The size of the metastases can be quite different.

To begin treatment, it is necessary to carry out the necessary diagnostics in time. What methods are used today to establish the correct diagnosis?

Diagnosis of oncology

Primary diagnosis of throat and laryngeal cancer can be performed by a specialist visually. At the first manifestations, which can become harbingers of the cancer of the throat and larynx, you should consult a doctor.

Inspection in this case can reveal the presence of tumors in the throat, however, as a rule, such diagnostics are not accurate and can be performed at later stages of the disease.

Since the primary symptoms of laryngeal cancer can be mistaken for diseases such as angina and laryngitis, treatment can be misdiagnosed, which complicates the correct diagnosis.

The following are the most effective methods of diagnosing laryngeal cancer:

1. laryngoscopy - this method allows using a special device to examine with a special light bulb the area of ​​the alleged lesion, and also take a piece of tissue for analysis during the examination;
2. fibrolaringoscopy;
3. biopsy - this method allows you to determine whether a particular disease belongs to a particular type, which will allow you to prescribe the right treatment;
4. X-ray examination of the larynx region;
5. computed tomography allows you to determine the areas of damage by metastases, as well as the size of the tumor and the number of metastases.

How to treat?

Thanks to the achievements of medicine, cancer disease is no longer considered a final sentence to the patient. At the earliest stages, the cure is considered possible.

What are the treatment methods that can be used for larynx and throat cancer?

Chemotherapy

This type of treatment is usually used in complex therapy or before the surgical intervention.

The essence of chemotherapy is the use of special medicines that depressively act on growing cancer cells, which gradually leads to the attenuation of the cancer process. The administration of these drugs can be done either orally, intramuscularly and intravenously.

Also, the administration of medications can be administered topically, directly into the affected area.

Radiotherapy

The radiation method is based on the effect on the tumor itself of high-frequency radiation. The ray is directed to the tissues of the lesion, with the death of a significant number of cancer cells, which leads either to the arrest of the growth of the cancerous tumor or to the complete cessation of the process of division and multiplication of cancer cells.

This type of therapy can be subdivided into two subspecies:

• internal exposure of - while radioactive substances are introduced into the affected area with the help of catheters or injections;
• external irradiation - the impact is effected by a directed beam.

This method of treatment is considered one of the most effective, but the best results can be achieved if the patient has refused to smoke for the period of treatment.

However, the use of radiation therapy has its consequences and contraindications. These include a marked lesion of the cartilaginous tissues of the larynx and throat, tumor growth in the esophagus and blood vessels is observed, as well as in the severe condition of the patient.

When the disease is in the third or fourth stage, this type of therapy is performed before surgery to remove the tumor.

Surgical intervention

Carrying out the operation is also considered an effective method of influencing the tumors of the larynx of a malignant nature. Usually, surgery is indicated in the early stages of the disease, as well as with radiation therapy - this allows you to remove the metastases that have arisen and prevent the further development of the cancer process.

There is also a laser method for performing such an operation, in which a bloodless cutting of the tissues of the throat and removal of the affected area is carried out.

Forecasts

For setting a preliminary prognosis for laryngeal cancer, the doctor takes into account both the general condition of the patient and the stage of the process.

Early stages have the highest percentage of survival, especially in the first two stages of cancer: at the first stage, the prognosis of five-year survival is about 85%.

Since squamous cell laryngeal cancer is a particularly active form of it with aggressive development, the prognosis for this type of cancer is somewhat less optimistic.

After the therapy, the patient needs a long rehabilitation period, and after the surgical intervention speech training is usually necessary.

Prevention of

Disease As one of the main causes of this malignant disease of the larynx is a predilection for such harmful habits as smoking, alcoholic beverages, in the absence of them, there is a significant improvement in overall health.

And while carrying out certain health measures that are held regularly, you can even stop and sometimes reverse the pathological processes that have begun.

An important measure to prevent throat and laryngeal cancer can be a correction of nutrition - the introduction of useful foods into the diet, the exclusion of fried, smoked and salty foods will restore health and improve their quality of life.

And although the onset of this serious illness is not always quickly diagnosed, should immediately undergo an examination for oncology of the neck and throat region for any health problems, coughing, worsening of swallowing function, sore throat.

Video about symptoms and treatments for throat cancer: