common symptoms of laryngeal cancer
TRANSCRIPT
Common Symptoms of Laryngeal
Cancer
• Otolaryngologist Dr. James Freije practices medicine at Mount Nittany Physician Group in Pennsylvania. Having served as an associate in the practice since 2009, Dr. James Freije provides comprehensive specialty care to adults and children and has experience diagnosing and treating a range of related illnesses, including laryngeal cancer.
• One of the most common types of head and neck cancer, laryngeal cancer is accompanied by several symptoms. Although symptoms may differ slightly depending on the tumor’s location and size, one common sign of laryngeal cancer is a change in voice, such as hoarseness, that lasts at least two to three weeks.
• This can often be a very early sign of a tumor because most laryngeal cancers form on the vocal cords at first. However, for laryngeal cancers that form elsewhere, changes in voice may be a sign of a later stage, so it’s important to keep an eye out for other symptoms as well.
• Other common signs of laryngeal cancer are a pain in the throat or lump in the neck.
• If the cancer has affected the neck’s lymph glands, a lump may form on the side of the neck. In terms of throat pain, this may be caused by a tumor above the vocal cords, and it often persists for six weeks or more.
• Pain and difficulty swallowing also commonly accompany throat pain. Occasionally, laryngeal cancer symptoms may seem unrelated, leading to their being overlooked. Ear pain is one such symptom, as is weight loss.
