Suffering from Unrelenting Sore Throat Might be a Sign of Cancer

You gargle with warm salt water, drink plenty of water and even take a tablet to get rid of the sore throat but it keeps haunting you persistently. Suffering from unending pain while swallowing something, getting a scratchy feeling and feeling worse after getting up in the morning-these symptoms prompt the individual to visit his/her physician. While the person expects the doctor to come up with the diagnosis of a bacterial or viral infection the physician shocks the patient by diagnosing it as throat cancer!
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Tending to the Throat
A new research tells us their shocking discovery that it might be signs of laryngeal cancer when individuals report shortness of breath, problems swallowing or pain in the ear along with hoarseness in the voice. Larynx or the voice box helps us talk by producing sound and ensures that we breathe smoothly.  There was a 5% increase in the risk of cancer due to sore throat along with any of these other conditions whereas hoarseness as a standalone factor accounts for 2.7% risk only. This is a result of a study of more than 800 patients suffering from cancer of the larynx.

Hoarseness has always been a serious symptom to consider in the case of laryngeal cancer but this research reveals that the lurking danger increases multifold when it is coupled with persistent sore throat. Many factors that were considered to belong to a low-risk category now seem to have climbed up the ladder in terms of triggering a cancer of the larynx.

There is no need to panic here as it is not any sore throat but only those unusual ones that call for a physician’s attention which need intervention. If you think the sore throat is something unusual with the following symptoms than the one that occurs regularly get in touch with the doctor for a diagnosis:

• Earache
• Swallowing and breathing difficulties
• Rash
• The sore throat lasts for more than a week
• Lump in the neck
• Hoarseness for more than two weeks
• Frequently recurring sore throat
• Blood in phlegm or saliva
  
  

Must-know Facts on Laryngeal Cancer

• Laryngeal cancer more commonly affects the male population
• Radiation, chemotherapy and surgery are the main treatment options and each of them have their own side effects. Know more about the side effects and effective solutions for them from the website www.firsteatright.com.
• As with any other cancer, earlier the diagnosis better is the outcome. If a patient has reached an advanced stage surgery might be required to remove part or all of the larynx
• Individuals affected by this disease cannot speak or breathe as they used to previously
• Tobacco and alcohol are the main risk factors for laryngeal cancer