Vocal cord cancer

All information given here is only of a general nature, tumor therapy always belongs in the hands of an experienced oncologist!

Synonyms

Vocal cord cancer, Glottic cancer, vocal fold CA.

English: laryngeal carcinoma

definition

The vocal cord cancer (vocal cord cancer) is a malignant (malignant) tumor disease of the vocal folds. One of the main signs (symptoms) of illness is hoarseness.

Any hoarseness that lasts more than three weeks requires a larynx examination. A laryngoscopy is used by the specialist in ear, nose and throat medicine to see whether the disease is harmless or malignant. Since vocal fold cancer has a relatively good prognosis, a cure can be achieved through early detection!

Occurrence

It is predominantly men who get sick in old age. This tumor has been observed more frequently for around 70 years and is explained by an increase in environmental toxins.
In the first place of harmful substances is above all the Cigarette smoke!
Other Throat cancer-are promoting poisons and substances asbestos (former insulation material), benzene (in petroleum and cigarette smoke), Chromates (in anti-corrosion agents) and nickel (in metal alloys).

Symptoms

Hoarseness is unfortunately played down far too often and dismissed as a cold / runny nose or voice overload.
In many cases this explanation is correct. However, a long-lasting hoarseness must always be suspicious of other disease processes.
Inflammation, such as acute laryngitis (pseudocroup), which can occur as part of a cold, usually last no longer than two weeks.
Vocal cord nodules are also harmless after voice overload, but they also need to be clarified by a specialist in ear, nose and throat medicine.

You might also be interested in: What symptoms indicate throat cancer?

diagnosis

The ear, nose and throat specialist will examine the larynx and its vocal folds (glottis) with a laryngoscope.
In order to assess the foreign tissue on the larynx (tissue examination, histology), a small piece is removed with a fine gripper (sample excision, fine needle puncture, PE) and sent to the pathology department for microscopic examination.
This examination is carried out with the elimination of pain (local anesthesia). In order to determine the extent of a possible spread of the tumor (metastasis), an ultrasound examination of the neck (sonography), a computed tomography (CT) of the neck and chest (chest, thorax) and possiblyan ultrasound scan of the abdominal cavity (abdomen) performed.

therapy

One differentiates here different stages, depending on size, location and extent into the surrounding tissue. Different therapy methods are used depending on the stage. There are basically three possible therapeutic approaches:

• the chemotherapytreatment with cell-toxic drugs that are supposed to inhibit the growth of tumor cells
• the operation that aims to remove the tumor as completely as possible and
• the radiotherapy (Radiotherapy) which is also intended to inhibit the growth of tumor cells.

in the In contrast to chemotherapy, radiation therapy has a somewhat more local effect due to its targeted application in the affected area. The radiotherapy - both in cancer of the larynx and in other types of cancer - often in combination applied with chemotherapy, one then speaks of one Chemoradiotherapy. In many cases, a combination of both treatment options results in one fight cancer cells even more efficiently.

Radiation therapy alone is used less frequently in cancer of the larynx / vocal folds. The use of a Radiation therapy is usually used for advanced tumors into consideration. For example, she can too after an operation occur if the entire tumor could not be removed. Radiation therapy is generally better tolerated than chemotherapy, but here too there is Side effectsBoth those that occur quickly after treatment (e.g. reddening of the skin, feeling tired, inflammation of the mucous membranes) and those that only appear weeks to months after treatment (e.g. skin discoloration, dry mouth or damage to the lungs (lung fibrosis)). Overall, radiation therapy, which can usually be carried out on an outpatient basis, is nowadays considered to be relatively well tolerated.

forecast

Why does the cervical lip cancer have a good prognosis?

1. Early symptoms
   Carcinoma of the vocal cords manifests itself quite early on through hoarseness and weak voice. Before the cancer spreads to other structures (infiltrative growth), it can be diagnosed.
   
2. Tumor spread (metastasis) rarely and late
   Cancer of the vocal folds belongs to the "malignant" types of cancer and can theoretically spread daughter tumors (metastases) in different parts of the body, but this happens rather late and rarely.
   
3. Good therapy options and healing results
   With modern surgical instruments, good access to the larynx and the vocal folds is now possible. The tumor is usually removed with a laser (endolaryngeal laser operation).
   Radiation therapy will also be indicated in some cases and means maintaining good voice quality. If the tumor is discovered late, however, larger parts of the larynx must be removed (partial resection of the larynx).

The healing results are with one 5-year survival rate of 90% astonishingly high, i.e. after five years 90 percent of those affected by vocal fold cancer are still alive.

Long-term consequences

Carcinoma of the vocal folds / vocal folds can - late and rarely - spread (metastasize) to all possible regions of the body.
The cancer itself grows in the area of ​​the vocal folds, narrows the glottis there and can spread to opposite areas.
Coughing, loss of speech and shortness of breath then significantly reduce the quality of life. Larger operations (larynx removal, removal of all neck dissection) can offer the last chance for a cure if diagnosed later.

Cancer of the palate is one of the carcinomas of the oral cavity. In the following article, you will find out how to recognize palatal cancer and how it is treated if you are present: Palate Cancer - Things to Watch Out For