Throat cancers are fast-growing and hard to diagnose. Here, throat cancer symptoms, signs, and risks you need to know.
Throat cancer strikes tens of thousands of Americans annually, but chances are it only recently hit your radar (Michael Douglas' diagnosis has spotlighted the disease). Thanks to decreasing smoking rates, its incidence has been declining, except for one type: oropharynx cancer, which is increasingly affecting nonsmokers. That's due to a rise in human papillomavirus, the virus linked to cervical cancer. "HPV-related oropharynx cancer is an emerging epidemic," says Jochen Lorch, MD, a head and neck oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. "There are about 7,000 cases in America, and that is expected to double in 5 to 10 years."Tip-offs such as hoarseness, swollen glands, and throat pain are so common during cold and flu season that it's easy to dismiss them, says Edward Kim, MD, chief of head and neck medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. A common scenario: A patient complains of a sore throat, gets treated for infection, and sees improvement. Then the "infection" returns and is treated with more medication. "This can go on for months, during which time a stage one throat cancer can progress to stage four because it's very aggressive," says Dr. Lorch.
These essential steps help keep you safe.