Sore throat for a long time shouldn’t be ignored
Persistent sore throat is the most common early warning sign for throat cancers and many patients are asymptomatic in the early stages. The mix of persistent symptoms like hoarseness, breathing problems, and a sore throat could point to a larger problem.
A few of the associated symptoms can be dry cough, persistent throat clearing and foreign body sensation in throat, difficulty in swallowing, lump in the throat, change in voice. Patients who are suffering from these symptoms must take these seriously and seek help from an ENT surgeon as soon as possible. The consultant will evaluate the throat and video laryngoscopy is done.
These cough symptoms must be looked out for
Dr. Apurva Jarandikar, Consultant ENT surgeon at DPU Private Super Specialty Hospital, Pimpri, Pune says, “Oral cancers may involve lips, cheek, gums, tongue, palate, tonsils whereas laryngeal cancers may involve vocal cords and patients will have voice change and difficulty in breathing. Hypopharyngeal cancers will cause difficulty in swallowing with persistent sore throat. One has a higher risk of developing hypopharyngeal cancers if they use tobacco products and drink heavily. One other sign of this type of cancer to watch out for is ear pain.”
What are the causes of prolonged cough
That being said, early identification of the cancer allows for a better effect on health, and this can be achieved with the help of treatments like chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery. The risk factors for this include tobacco chewing, smoking, alcohol abuse, vocal abuse, constant exposure to industrial and chemical fumes.
The takeaway
Squamous cell carcinoma, which occurs in the thin, flattened cells that line the inside of the throat, accounts for the majority of throat cancers as well as 90% of all head and neck cancers. A sore throat, a cough, hoarseness, trouble swallowing, pain when swallowing, and swollen lymph nodes in the neck can all be symptoms of tumours other than throat cancers. Among these kinds of cancer are oral cancer, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, lymphoma, and thyroid cancer.
