Throat Cancer: Risk Factors, Symptoms and Treatment

What it is

Throat cancer is a kind of head and neck cancer. Its name depends on which part of the throat it starts in:

• the oropharynx
• the hypopharynx
• the nasopharynx
• the larynx, or voice box

Risk factors

• The main ones: tobacco use and heavy drinking.
• Some types have others. For example, HPV infection raises the risk of oropharyngeal cancer.

Symptoms

• A sore throat that does not go away
• A lump in the neck
• Ear pain, or ringing in the ears
• Trouble swallowing

Diagnosis

Doctors may use a physical exam and history, imaging tests and a biopsy. Other tests may be needed, depending on the type of cancer.

Treatment

• Surgery
• Radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy
• For some types, targeted therapy — drugs or other substances that attack specific cancer cells while doing less harm to normal cells.

Sources

Based on "Throat Cancer," MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, drawing on the National Cancer Institute; a work of the United States government in the public domain.