Laryngeal and Hypopharyngeal Cancer

Overview

Symptoms

People with laryngeal or hypopharyngeal cancer may experience the following symptoms. Sometimes, people with laryngeal or hypopharyngeal cancer do not show any of these symptoms. Or, these symptoms may be caused by a medical condition that is not cancer. If you are concerned about a symptom on this list, please talk with your doctor.

• Hoarseness or change in voice (often an early symptom) that does not go away within two weeks
• An enlarged lymph node or a lump in the neck
• Airway obstruction, difficulty breathing, and noisy breathing
• Persistent sore throat, or a feeling that something is caught in the throat
• Persistent difficulty in swallowing
• Ear pain

Diagnosis

Doctors use many tests to diagnose cancer and determine if it has metastasized (spread). Some tests may also determine which treatments may be the most effective. For most types of cancer, a biopsy is the only way to make a definitive diagnosis of cancer. If a biopsy is not possible, the doctor may suggest other tests that will help make a diagnosis. Your doctor may consider these factors when choosing a diagnostic test:

• Age and medical condition
• The type of cancer suspected
• Severity of symptoms

Physical examination. The doctor will feel for any lumps in the neck, lip, gums, and cheek. The doctor will inspect the nose, mouth, throat, and tongue for abnormalities and often use a mirror for a clearer view of these structures. Though there is no specific blood test that detects laryngeal or hypopharyngeal cancer, several tests, including blood and urine tests, may be done to determine the diagnosis and establish the extent of the disease.

Treatment

The treatment of laryngeal or hypopharyngeal cancer depends on the size and location of the tumor, whether the cancer has spread, and the patient’s overall health.
This section outlines treatments that are the standard of care (the best treatments available) for this specific type of cancer. Patients are also encouraged to consider clinical trials as a treatment option when making treatment plan decisions. A clinical trial is a research study to test a new treatment to prove it is safe, effective, and possibly better than standard treatment. Your doctor can help you review all treatment options. For more information, visit the Clinical Trials section.

Surgery

During surgery, the doctor performs an operation to remove the cancerous tumor and some of the healthy tissue around it (called a margin). A surgical oncologist is a doctor who specializes in treating cancer using surgery. The goal of surgery is to remove the entire tumor and leave negative margins (no trace of cancer in the healthy tissue). Sometimes it is not possible to completely remove the cancer; in these cases, other treatments will be recommended.

The most common surgical procedures used to treat laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer include:

Partial laryngectomy. The removal of part of the larynx, preserving the voice. The following are some of the different types of partial laryngectomies:
Supraglottic laryngectomy. The removal of the area above the vocal folds. If part of the hypopharynx is to be removed with the cancer, this is called a partial pharyngectomy.
Cordectomy. The removal of a vocal fold.
Vertical hemilaryngectomy. The removal of one side of the larynx.