{"id":3343,"date":"2019-01-27T09:17:17","date_gmt":"2019-01-27T09:17:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=3343"},"modified":"2021-05-03T15:22:05","modified_gmt":"2021-05-03T15:22:05","slug":"12-frequent-throat-cancer-symptoms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/12-frequent-throat-cancer-symptoms\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Frequent Throat Cancer Symptoms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Throat<\/a> cancer refers to a group of neck and head cancers that begin in different areas of your throat. The type of throat cancer a person is diagnosed with is based on where the disease begins as well as what type of cancer cells are involved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most throat cancers are a type of squamous cell carcinoma. This means that cancer begins in the squamous cells, which are the thin and flat cells that line the throat. There are two main types of throat cancer, laryngeal and pharyngeal. Pharyngeal throat cancer begins in the pharynx, which is the area of the throat that goes behind the nose to the top of the esophagus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laryngeal throat cancer occurs when a tumor forms in the larynx, which is also called the voice box because it is where the vocal cords are held. Here are 8 frequent throat cancer symptoms that you should be aware of. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Patches in the Mouth
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The mouth goes through a lot when you really stop to think about it. It is the means by which we receive the majority of the nutrients that our body needs in order to sustain life. In addition, the mouth <\/a>is one of the first lines of defense when it comes to fighting off diseases and infections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this being said, it is important to make sure that you take care of your mouth. Throat or oral cancer can present with discolored tissue on the lips and in the mouth. These patches may be white and known as leukoplakia. White patches typically do not become malignant, but they can. A mix of red and white patches is known as erythroleukoplakia and are more likely to become malignant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red patches are called erythroplakia are smooth and brightly colored and often will become malignant. If you notice these types of patches in your mouth or on the lips, you need to go to the doctor right away to have them checked out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Sore Throat
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One of the most common symptoms of any type of throat cancer is a pain in the throat that will simply not go away. This pain <\/a>or discomfort may start out as mild but then becomes significantly more painful as time goes on. The pain or discomfort will not go away with medications or throat sprays. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are experiencing a sore throat that is persistent, it is important to discuss the symptom with your doctor. There are times when throat cancer can be misdiagnosed for quite a long time as there are many different types of infections that can cause a person to experience pain in their throats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strep throat is one of the most common infections that causes not only pain in the throat, but white patches in the mouth as well. If you have been diagnosed with strep throat, but antibiotics do not help, you should request that your doctor test you further in order to rule out any type of throat cancer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Changes in Voice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When a person has throat cancer <\/a>they may notice that their voice has changed. This can occur in many different ways. When the voice becomes hoarse it is often indicative that the laryngeal nerve is involved. The laryngeal nerve is a part of the vagus nerve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is responsible for innervating the muscles located within the larynx. It is also responsible for vocal cord paralysis. The larynx is often referred to as the voice box. When there is a nodule present in this area, it can put pressure on the voice box. This can lead to changes in the voice or hoarseness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a person is experiencing changes in their voice that are persistent and not resolving, there is a good chance there is something wrong. There could be many different reasons that this is occurring, including the development of some type of cancer in the throat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Trouble Swallowing
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When a person has trouble swallowing the medical term for it is dysphagia<\/a>. Dysphagia can also cause a person to have difficulty starting the swallowing movement. It may also cause a person to feel like they have food that is stuck in the chest or the neck. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This symptom is quite common in older people, which means that it is often overlooked as symptoms of throat cancer. In patients over the age of 50, dysphagia is quite common. When a person has throat cancer, the dysphagia or difficulty swallowing may be caused by the glands becoming enlarged. This enlargement causes direct compression in the throat area, which can make it difficult to swallow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even after a patient has been treated and has throat cancer under control, they may still continue to experience difficulty swallowing. This can be caused as a consequence of the surgery or radiation treatment that is used. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Lump in the Neck
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There are several forms of throat cancer that first present as lumps in the neck. These lumps can be painless and may be located anywhere in the throat or neck area. These lumps are often first noticed by simply palpitating the areas of the neck. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These lumps are caused by lymph nodes become enlarged. The swelling of the lymph nodes located in the neck is one of the most common symptoms of throat cancer. Often times when a person discovers a lump on their neck they do not think much about it because it often will not cause any pain <\/a>and may not be that noticeable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, any type of lump that presents in the neck or the head is worth noting. Lumps that come and go will typically not be a sign of cancer. Cancerous lumps usually will form and be quite small and then get bigger with time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Unexplained Weight Loss
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Another common symptom of any patient that has been diagnosed with cancer is weight loss<\/a>. It is obvious that a loss of appetite, which is another sign of cancer, can lead to a person losing weight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, a person who does not have an appetite is not going to eat as much and when you are not eating as much you are more likely to lose weight. In fact, almost 40 percent of patients who are diagnosed with cancer have reported that one of the first symptoms that they noticed was an unexplained weight loss when they were first diagnosed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those who have more advanced stages of cancer unexpected weight loss occurs in nearly 80 percent. For those who have an advanced stage of thyroid cancer cachexia may occur. This refers to several symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss, muscle atrophy, and a loss of appetite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Appetite Loss
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Almost anyone who has developed any type of cancer may experience a loss of appetite<\/a>. This is a common symptom for most cancer patients. A person who has thyroid cancer may experience a loss of appetite. These individuals simply do not have a desire to eat, even foods that were once enjoyable to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason for this could be caused by the metabolic changes that are caused by cancer. Some of the other factors that may contribute to the loss of appetite include weakness, pain, fatigue, and depression. In individuals who have thyroid cancer, it may cause difficulty swallowing, which can cause a person not to eat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The feeling of having a constant lump in the throat also contributes to the loss of appetite. As the nodule or cancer grows, the esophagus may become obstructed. This can cause a person to resort to liquids or soft foods, which may not be very appetizing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Coughing <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are numerous reasons that a person may develop a cough. Something in the air can cause a person to cough. Allergic reactions, a common cold, or just a minor irritation <\/a>are all reasons that a person may start coughing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, when a person develops throat cancer they may develop a cough that will simply not go away. This cough is quite persistent and is often caused by an irritation that is caused by a swollen lymph node in the throat area. This can occur in any area of the throat, neck, or head. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These swollen lymph nodes can cause a person to experience some unexplained itching or tickling in their throat that they simply cannot get rid of. If a person develops a cough that will simply not go away, a doctor may order a scan of the throat in order to determine what is causing the cough to be so persistent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9. Nausea<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A common symptom of any form of cancer is nausea<\/a>. The reason for this is that the body is under extreme stress, and this can then lead you to feel generally unwell. In the case of cancer, your body doesn\u2019t know precisely what is going on \u2013 only that your organs aren\u2019t functioning as they are supposed to. As a result, it will often react by trying to drive out invaders \u2013 assuming that your illness must be caused by a germ or infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to do this, you might begin to feel sick and unwell and to bring up the contents of your stomach. At the same time, you will find that when suffering from any illness, your body directs its energy toward fighting that illness. That means that your energy is also being directed away <\/em>from other jobs. In particular, your body will be driving energy away from your digestion and stomach in this case \u2013 which can leave you feeling unwell and potentially causing you to vomit.
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10. Weight Loss<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Weight loss can likewise occur as a result of having any form of cancer. One of the easiest-to-miss symptoms of cancer, in fact, is this gradual and unexplained weight loss, which will occur of course because your body is busy fighting the illness and isn\u2019t operating properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time though, with throat cancer, there is a risk of additional weight <\/a>loss which can occur as a secondary symptom due to the difficulty with eating and swallowing. As your throat becomes painful and it becomes more difficult to swallow, you will be more likely to leave food or to put off eating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These things combined can then lead to even more drastic weight loss. This is also a useful symptom to look out for when trying to diagnose possible signs of cancer in other people.
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11. Fever and Tiredness<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once again, it is useful to remember that the body will react to cancerous cells in a similar manner to an infection <\/a>or an invasion. This then triggers your body to react by trying to \u2018drive out\u2019 the infection by increasing body temperature. This makes your body a less hospitable place for any bacteria or germs living there and helps you to, therefore, eliminate illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, you might also simply notice yourself feeling excessively tired. This can occur again due to the fact that your body is battling a serious illness, and can also be a knock-on effect of being in pain and not eating properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In general, you should look out for signs of being \u2018unwell\u2019. If you feel generally off your game and you notice some of the other symptoms that we have seen are associated with throat cancer, then there is a chance that this is what is causing the problem. Always look for clusters of symptoms, rather than assessing them in an isolated manner.
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12. Swelling<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Swelling <\/a>can occur in much the same way as many of the other symptoms we\u2019ve looked at here. The body is trying to fix a wound in essence and is, therefore, reacting by causing the area to swell up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This rushes blood, oxygen, and antibodies to the area in a bid to try and stem the progress of the damage and to hopefully reverse the damage that has already occurred. Of course, this swelling will be experienced as a swelling in the lining of the throat (the mucous membrane) and it might, therefore, make it more difficult to breathe and to swallow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is separate from the lumps in the neck which we have already discussed, and which occur due to the cancerous cells spreading and causing tumors.
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13. Malnutrition<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you stop eating properly, all kinds of things can happen. The issue here is that we get our nutrition <\/a>from our diet, which includes the vitamins, minerals, amino acids and more that the body uses in order to heal wounds, and generally ensure that the body is operating optimally at all times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throat cancer can prevent this from happening as it should in numerous ways. You won\u2019t be eating as much due to the pain involved in swallowing, you might find that you can\u2019t break down the food as easily (remember that the throat is part of the digestive tract), and your body won\u2019t be operating as it should. We\u2019ve already seen how all of this can lead to weight loss, but of course, it can also lead to malnutrition, meaning that you aren\u2019t getting those vitamins and minerals and are therefore seeing signs of deterioration.
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14. Spreading<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest dangers of cancer is that it can spread. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember, when you are suffering from cancer, this means that your cells have become damaged in the part that is responsible for splitting them and for creating new cells. Therefore, every time your cell now splits and multiplies, it will be creating an imperfect copy. This imperfect copy can then spread as well, which is what causes the formation of cancerous tumors, and what causes organs and body parts to fail more and more over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can also cause cancer in one part of the body to spread quickly to other parts. Therefore, you might start to notice signs of other problems \u2013 such as in the stomach<\/a>. It is incredibly important that you see a physician before the cancer is able to spread to the blood or to the bone marrow where it can travel around the entire body.
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