Throat cancer symptoms can be mistaken for other diseases and may not cause pain. Early diagnosis is important. Symptoms include cough, weight loss, trouble breathing, hoarse voice, blood in phlegm, and lumps in throat.
Recognizing the symptoms of throat cancer can be difficult because the symptoms can seem like the result of another disease and often don’t directly cause pain or discomfort in the throat. Paying attention to a person’s overall well-being and health is important because an early diagnosis means that the patient will receive the necessary medical care before the cancer starts to spread. The main signs of throat cancer are a cough, weight loss, trouble breathing, a hoarse voice, blood in the nose or phlegm, and lumps in the throat.
An ongoing cough can be one of the symptoms of throat cancer. Many people may think that this is the result of a cold or the flu, but if the cough does not go away or if there is blood in the mucus that the person coughs up, the person may have throat cancer. Coughing is the body’s natural way of clearing the throat and expelling bacteria, but if the person has throat cancer, the throat may be inflamed or infected with cancerous cells that cause irritation. Cough is very common in individuals who develop throat cancer from smoking or chewing tobacco.
Significant weight loss with no identifiable cause is another symptom of throat cancer. Cancer cells wreak havoc on the body and cause the person to lose a large amount of weight rapidly. This symptom is associated with many other diseases and cancers, so the person should see a doctor for more information and a diagnosis.
Problems breathing and swallowing or a hoarse voice are also signs of throat cancer. Some types of cancer, such as cancer of the hypopharynx or cancer of the glottis, start in the larynx of the throat, which is responsible for producing the sounds that the mouth makes, and in the muscles of the esophagus responsible for swallowing. Cancer in this region can make a person’s voice sound scratchy and they may feel pain and discomfort when swallowing.
Throat lumps develop when cancerous tissue forms a cyst or tumor in the esophagus. The lump may be felt from outside the throat, or the person may feel like there is something stuck in the throat. Sores or bumps that form in the back of the mouth or on the tonsils could be a sign of oropharyngeal throat cancer. A person should see a doctor right away if they experience any of the symptoms of throat cancer.
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