How fast throat cancer grows

Stage 3 throat cancer : The tumor has grown beyond the throat and may extend into nearby tissues or organs. The cancer may or may not have spread to a nearby lymph node. Stage 4 throat cancer : The tumor may be any size and remain in the neck, or it may have affected multiple lymph nodes. It may also have spread to distant sites, such as the lungs.

Next topic: How is throat cancer diagnosed? Make a difference in the fight against cancer by donating to cancer research. Call us anytime. This usually involves examination with an endoscope in the physician's office, which allows determination of vocal cord mobility and other dynamic features and also direct laryngoscopy with a microscope under anesthesia. The exact size, shape and depth of invasion can be better determined and a search for adjacent areas of pre-malignant or malignant change can be assessed in other areas such as the oral cavity, pharynx and esophagus.

The larynx is connected with the back of the tongue and the lower swallowing passageways and so these areas must also be examined thoroughly. Radiologic imaging studies such as computerized tomographic CAT scans and magnetic resonance imaging MRI are often used to examine the neck for cancer spread outside the larynx or involvement of lymph nodes. Chest x-ray and barium swallow x-rays of the esophagus are routinely obtained looking for cancer involving the lungs or the esophagus swallowing passage.

With modern approaches, newer imaging techniques such at PET scans are often used to assess for cancer spread elsewhere in the body.

Using information derived from these assessments, the cancer is "staged", i. The AJCC has established guidelines for staging of cancer of the larynx that assign a description for the tumor T , the regional or neck lymph nodes N and presence of distant metastases spread of cancer M. Important elements of prognosis that are not represented in such a staging system include a patient's general health, age, immune function, and co-morbidities such as weight loss, heart disease, hypertension or diabetes.

Many factors enter into decision-making when it comes to the treatment or laryngeal cancer. Perhaps more than any other type of cancer, a patient's wishes are a significant element in every decision because of the wide variety of treatments available, the differences in how each treatment affects voice, swallowing and quality of life and the similarities in cure rates among the various treatments. Many of the decisions are influenced by subtle variations in the size or location of the cancer such that patients should seek out the most knowledgeable head and neck oncologists to get information specific to their individual cancer.

A skilled practitioner experienced in the diagnosis and staging of these cancers can only provide such advice. These cancers are usually slow growing and so, if necessary, there is ample time for consultation with both surgical, radiation and medical oncologists. Usually the surgical oncologist will "stage" the cancer and outline various treatment options and often will consult the specialists in the other disciplines. Usually a "team" of oncologists that include surgeons, medical oncologists and radiation specialists will meet to jointly plan a treatment and make recommendations for the patient to consider.

These discussions are frequently referred to as a "tumor board. Early cancer of the glottis vocal cords or supraglottis false vocal cords can be effectively treated with either surgery alone or radiation therapy. Most surgical procedures can spare major portions of the voice box and with modern techniques, reconstruction of the voice box can be accomplished with preservation of reasonable voice quality and swallowing.

The past ten years have seen the introduction of laser resections for many of these cancers thereby avoiding external neck incisions. In general, cancers that are superficial or limited in extent are best treated with laser removal. Similar tumors are also easily cured with weeks of radiation treatment.

Many physicians feel that voice quality may be better following radiation compared to surgery, but side effects of permanent dry mouth and risks of some long-term swallowing problems are associated with radiation.

Treatment may consist of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, biological therapy or a combination of these treatment techniques. The potential benefits of receiving treatment must be carefully balanced with the potential risks. The information on this website is intended to help educate patients about their treatment options and to facilitate a mutual or shared decision-making process with their treating cancer physician.

Treatment of throat cancer is multi-modality in nature. Because the throat is involved in talking, swallowing, and breathing, the type of treatment is selected to minimized impact on these important functions.

In some cases, patients are unable to tolerate surgery or surgery results in significant functional defects, including difficulty in talking or swallowing. Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy has been shown to produce similar results to that of surgery. The results of one clinical study involving patients with cancer of the tonsil indicated that the use of radiation therapy alone or with surgery to remove only cancerous lymph nodes afforded cure rates as good as those typically achieved with more extensive surgery but with less severe complications.

Researchers from MD Anderson Cancer Center have also repeated the results of a clinical study evaluating patients with previously untreated squamous cell carcinomas of the tonsils receiving radiation therapy.

Irradiation delivered to both sides of the neck bilateral was routine in all patients. Radiation and Surgery: Combined radiation and surgery is usually reserved for larger cancers of the throat. However, this approach may also be used to treat patients who have cancer detected in the margins of the removed tissue or who have only a narrow margin of normal tissue remaining after surgical removal of the cancer. One of the controversies in treatment of early stage cancer of the throat is whether or not to routinely treat the lymph nodes in the neck with surgery and radiation therapy.

If left untreated, cancers of the throat ultimately spread throughout the lymph system in the neck. Untreated cancer that has spread to lymph nodes is responsible for cancer recurrence. Thus, identifying whether cancer is present in the lymph nodes in the neck is important for preventing recurrence. The tumor is not more than two centimeters, and the cancer has not reached the lymph nodes.

Stage II describes a tumor that is larger than two centimeters but not more than four centimeters. Stage II cancer has not reached the lymph nodes. Stage III throat cancer describes cancer that either is larger than four centimeters or has spread to a lymph node on the same side of the neck as the tumor. That lymph node is also smaller than three centimeters. Stage IV is the most-advanced stage of throat cancer. The tumor may be any size, but it has spread to:. Throat cancer may be stage IV when it is first diagnosed.