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Cancer of the Pharynx or Throat

Definition

Cancer of the pharynx (also called pharyngeal or throat cancer) is a malignant tumor in the passageway leading from the mouth and back of the nose to the esophagus (food pipe). The cancer can spread to other areas throughout and near the throat. It may also spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body and become life threatening. Treatment is most successful during the early stages of the disease.

Getting Diagnosed / Treatment

The Head and Neck Oncology Program coordinates research and treatment efforts to provide outstanding care to those diagnosed with pharyngeal cancer.

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How does pharyngeal cancer occur?

Although the cause of pharyngeal cancer is unknown, it is most common among heavy smokers and people who drink large amounts of alcohol. It is 7 times more common in men than women and generally occurs after age 50.

Untreated cancer often spreads throughout the throat area to the lymph nodes and into the bloodstream, where the cancer is carried to other parts of the body. As long as you receive no treatment, the cancer will continue to spread and become life-threatening.

What are the symptoms?

There may be no symptoms to warn of possible cancer. If symptoms are present, they are similar to those of upper respiratory infections such as colds and other viruses. The following symptoms may occur as the cancer worsens:

slight sore throat that lasts for over 2 weeks
hoarseness or a change in your voice so that your voice sounds muffled
trouble with swallowing or feeling of incomplete swallowing
earache or blocked ear
bloody phlegm coughed up
swollen lymph node in the neck
hard lump in the throat or in the neck lymph node.
A large tumor can block the throat, cutting off the air supply, possibly causing you to pass out or suffocate.

How is it diagnosed?

Your health care provider will ask how long you have had a sore throat or felt a lump in the neck. He or she will then examine the throat.

Your health care provider may want to use a special instrument, a lighted viewing tube, to get a better look at the pharynx and the surrounding area. Your provider may also want to take a biopsy. He or she will take a small sample of tissue from the affected area and have it analyzed to determine if it contains cancer cells.

What is the Treatment?

Your health care provider, ear/nose/throat specialist, and oncology (cancer) specialist will determine the treatment for cancer of the pharynx based on the following factors:

stage of tumor
location of tumor
extent of malignancy.

Your health care provider may recommend the following treatments:

  • Radiation therapy to shrink the malignant tumor. Radiation therapy may be the only treatment, or it may be combined with surgery.
  • Surgery to remove the tumor. Plastic surgery may be desirable or necessary if an operation is extensive. Tissue removed from another part of your body would be used to replace a part of the pharynx.
  • Chemotherapy with or without radiation treatments and with or without an operation if the tumor is large and has spread. Chemotherapy is the use of anticancer drugs to destroy cancer cells and help stop them from spreading.

You may have side effects or complications from radiation or chemotherapy such as:

nausea
vomiting
fatigue
hair loss, baldness
reduced ability to fight infections
sunburnlike redness of the skin where radiation is used.

Your health care provider may suggest medicines for nausea and vomiting. Your provider may prescribe corticosteroid drugs to help with possible side effects of cancer-fighting treatments.

If cancer of the pharynx is found at an early stage, these treatments may result in a complete cure. In advanced cases, these steps may stop the growth for a while and ease the symptoms.

The cure rate for this type of cancer varies with stage, location, and type of tumor found.

How long will the effects last?

The effects of cancer of the pharynx will vary depending upon the stage in which the tumor is detected and when treatment begins.

How can I take care of myself?

  • Call your health care provider if you have a sore throat or blocked ear that continues for more than 2 weeks or a feeling of incomplete swallowing that doesn't go away.
  • Avoid use of tobacco products in any form.
  • Avoid heavy use of alcoholic beverages.
  • If radiation therapy is part of your care, see the dentist recommended by your health care provider for special care before treatment starts.
  • Eat well-balanced meals and maintain overall good health practices.
  • As your throat becomes sore from radiation treatments, maintain your weight by eating frequent meals and bland foods. Also use liquid nutrition supplements.
  • Complete the full course of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy treatments ordered by your health care provider.
  • Ask your health care provider what side effects you can expect to have from the radiation or chemotherapy. There are sometimes severe side effects, such as sore throat and damage to your teeth.
  • Contact national and local self-help organizations such as:
    Cancer Information Center: 1-800-4-CANCER

If possible, locate a support group for cancer patients to help you during your illness and recovery. Maintain a hopeful and positive outlook throughout treatment and recovery.

 

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University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
1500 East Medical Center Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

This site is part of the U-M Health System. The information presented is not a tool for self diagnosis or a substitute for professional care. © 2008 U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center