Therapy of throat cancer

If throat cancer is discovered at an early stage, when it is still small and circumscribed, healing by surgical removal is within the realm of possibility. However, the often too late diagnosis is problematic. The aim of therapy is to restore or maintain the patient’s quality of life, so that he or she can breathe or eat without restriction.

The localization of the throat cancer is also important in the therapy, as the treatment of nasopharyngeal cancer differs from that of oro or hypopharyngeal cancer. If an oro- or hypopharyngeal carcinoma is detected at a stage where a cure is still possible, surgical removal or radiotherapy is performed. A combination of surgical removal and radiation therapy can also be performed.If the tumor has already grown into neighboring structures, such as the thyroid gland or esophagus, parts of them must also be removed.

In many cases, however, a complete removal of the tumor is problematic. Furthermore, a cervical lymph node removal, known in medical jargon as neck dissection, is performed. This can also be advantageous in the case of not yet visible metastases from throat cancer in the neck lymph nodes, since the metastases do not always have to be directly visible.

In the case of advanced oro or hypopharyngeal carcinomas, radiotherapy is combined with chemotherapy. Since nasopharyngeal carcinoma is difficult to access during surgery, radiotherapy is used here. Not only the region of the throat cancer itself is irradiated, but also the cervical lymph nodes, as lymph node metastases can often be observed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Neck dissection, i.e. the surgical removal of these lymph nodes, can also be considered. Normally, it is used for nasopharyngeal carcinoma if metastases are still present after radiation or if relapses occur. If lymph node metastases are already present, radiotherapy is often combined with chemotherapy. Such a combination is called radiochemotherapy.

Prognosis for throat cancer

Timely diagnosis and therapy is, as with all cancers, also of great importance in throat cancer. If the tumor is still small, has not yet spread and has not yet grown into neighboring structures, the prognosis is good. The more advanced the tumor growth is, the worse the prognosis is.

The most important factor that has a positive influence on life expectancy is early detection of the carcinoma, as treatment in the early stages is often associated with a longer life expectancy. In addition, throat cancer that is associated with human papilloma virus (HPV) responds better to chemotherapy and therefore has a better prognosis. Risk factors are smoking and alcohol abuse.

It is important to avoid these risk factors in order to reduce the risk of throat cancer. It is difficult to give a general answer to the question of life expectancy for throat cancer, as this depends heavily on the stage at which the cancer is discovered and treated. Unfortunately, throat cancer often lacks specific early symptoms, so that it is discovered very late.

If the cancer has already spread, i.e. metastasized, life expectancy is drastically reduced. Furthermore, the survival rate depends on the area in which the cancer has developed. The worst prognosis is for a carcinoma in the lower throat area (hypopharyngeal carcinoma), as here breathing is most likely to be impeded by an ingrowing tumor.

A very late detection of the cancer has a negative effect on life expectancy. Since the cancer may have metastasized to other organs, such as the lung, treatment is difficult. In addition, the localization of the tumor in the lower pharyngeal area is negative for life expectancy. This localization is associated with the highest mortality. Smoking and consumption of alcohol should be stopped immediately.