Throat Cancer

Throat Cancer is referred to as the cancer of the vocal cords, larynx (voice box) or other throat areas. It is mainly caused due to smoking and tobacco intake. Excessive alcoholism also increases the risk of developing throat cancer. It is mostly developed in adults over 50 years of age, particularly men as they are ten times more likely to develop the disease than women. Common symptoms include abnormal breathing sounds, cough, difficulty in swallowing, coughing up blood, neck pain, hoarseness, sore throat, unreasonable weight loss, and swelling or lumps in the neck. Throat cancer is detected by the doctor by first performing a physical examination on the patient that can show a lump outside the neck. Tests could include biopsy of suspected tumor, CT scan of chest, head and neck, and chest x-ray.