Throat cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the throat (pharynx) or voice box (larynx).
Your throat is a muscular tube that begins behind your nose and ends in your neck.
Experts say throat cancer most often develops in the flat cells that line the inside inner part of a person’s throat.
The kind of cancer that develops at the voice box area happens because it sits just below your throat.
Basically, your vocal cords that vibrate and produce sound when you talk is part of your voice box that is made of cartilage.
In Nigeria, there are fewer than 100 thousand cases per year.
Types Of Throat Cancer
The name given to each type of throat cancer depends on part of the throat where the cancer originated.
Basically, throat cancers involve the same types of cells.
The different types of throat cancer are Nasopharyngeal, Oropharyngeal, Hypopharyngeal, Glottic, Supraglottic and Subglottic.
1. Nasopharyngeal Cancer
This type of throat cancer begins in the part of the throat that is behind your nose. It is called nasopharynx.
2. Oropharyngeal Cancer
This form of throat cancer begins in the part of the throat right behind the mouth that includes your tonsils – oropharynx.
3. Hypopharyngeal Cancer
It is also called laryngopharyngeal cancer and it begins in the hypopharynx. It is the lower part of the throat, just above the esophagus and windpipe.
3. Glottic Cancer
This begins in the vocal cords.
4. Supraglottic Cancer
This type begins in the upper portion of the voice box and includes cancer that affects the epiglottis.
The epiglottis is a piece of cartilage that blocks food from going into your windpipe.
5. Subglottic cancer
This begins in the lower portion of your voice box, below the vocal cords.
While they have different names, they all involve the same type of cells.
Symptoms Of Throat Cancer
There are different symptoms or and signs that a person is having throat cancer. They are cough, voice changes – like hoarseness or not speaking clearly, difficulty swallowing something and ear pain.
Others are lump or sore that doesn’t heal or just go away, sore throat and weight loss.
However, these symptoms are not just for throat cancer. It could be for another reason.
This is the reason you need to see a doctor when you have these symptoms for proper diagnosis.
Causes Of Throat Cancer
This form of cancer happens when there is a genetic mutation of the cells in the throat.
It is not clear what causes this mutation. As the mutation happens, cells continue to grow uncontrollably and they continue to live after healthy cells die, resulting in accumulation.
As these cells accumulate, it could form a tumour in the throat.
What Exposes One To Throat Cancer
There are different factors that could increase the chances of this cancer occurring.
People who smoke or chew tobacco and those who take alcohol excessively are prone to having it.
A study found that in the presence of tobacco and/or alcohol, low intake of fruit and vegetables may account for 25 to 50 percent of the cases among men (1).
Also, A viral infection could trigger the cell mutation. Some of such virus infections are the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and Epstein-Barr virus.
Another risk factor is eating a diet that is lacking in fruits and vegetables. A study found that a low intake of vitamin C, beta-carotene and vitamin E were reported consistently to be associated with higher laryngeal cancer risk (2) (3).
Another diseases, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), could also increase an individual’s risk of having this cancer.
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Also, exposure to toxic substances at work could increase the amount of toxins in the body and exposes an individual to the cell mutation.
This is why a diet rich in vitamins and minerals and then antioxidants is a great one for everyone. These antioxidants arrest the antibodies and stop them from causing harm.
How To Stay Safe From This Cancer
Staying safe from cancer generally requires that an individual feed the body foods that support good health.
Processed foods offer little or nothing to the body and as such, should be eating with moderation of replaced with living foods.
Food in their natural state have a lot to offer your body.
Add vegetables and fruits to your diet on a daily basis. This is because there is increase in the amount of toxins that we are exposed to daily.
From the air we breathe, detergents we use, preservatives in the foods we eat and to the water we drink which sometimes are treated with excess amount of chemical.
Avoid tobacco.
Drink alcohol with moderation or keep it away for good.
Do not expose yourself to sexually transmitted disease – HPV and Epstein-Barr virus.
It is better to keep cancer away than to expose yourself to it by your lifestyle.
If you find this helpful, kindly share with your friends and loved ones so they know the causes and symptoms of throat cancer.