What does throat cancer feel like?

Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
Updated on May 03, 2025
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Throat cancer is a relatively common otolaryngological disease and a common type of malignant tumor in the head and neck area. It has numerous clinical symptoms, the most common being a sensation of a foreign body in the throat and pain. It may also cause hoarseness. Some patients might experience swallowing obstruction and breathing difficulties, and it can also lead to weight loss. The specific symptoms can vary significantly from person to person. After the onset of the disease, it is urgent to visit an otolaryngology department, where a laryngoscopy and a CT scan of the larynx can be performed. These are helpful for clinical and pathological staging and typing. In terms of treatment, surgery is currently the main approach, though a comprehensive treatment plan including radiotherapy and chemotherapy may also be considered for some patients.

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Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
53sec home-news-image

What does throat cancer feel like?

Throat cancer is a relatively common otolaryngological disease and a common type of malignant tumor in the head and neck area. It has numerous clinical symptoms, the most common being a sensation of a foreign body in the throat and pain. It may also cause hoarseness. Some patients might experience swallowing obstruction and breathing difficulties, and it can also lead to weight loss. The specific symptoms can vary significantly from person to person. After the onset of the disease, it is urgent to visit an otolaryngology department, where a laryngoscopy and a CT scan of the larynx can be performed. These are helpful for clinical and pathological staging and typing. In terms of treatment, surgery is currently the main approach, though a comprehensive treatment plan including radiotherapy and chemotherapy may also be considered for some patients.

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Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
45sec home-news-image

What are the symptoms of throat cancer?

The symptoms of laryngeal cancer are quite varied, and there are some differences among different types of laryngeal cancer. For glottic laryngeal cancer, a common symptom is hoarseness because the cancer primarily develops on the vocal cords. This can lead to incomplete closure of the vocal cords or restricted movement during speech, causing hoarseness. Symptoms generally appear early in the course of the disease for this type. For supraglottic or subglottic laryngeal cancer, symptoms may include throat pain, a feeling of a foreign body, and difficulties in swallowing and breathing. However, hoarseness generally appears later in these cases. The primary treatment is surgery, with some patients requiring consideration for radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

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Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
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How to distinguish between throat cancer and pharyngitis.

Laryngeal cancer and pharyngitis are fundamentally different. First, there is the specific nature of the lesions: laryngeal cancer is a type of malignant tumor in the pharyngeal and laryngeal areas, posing significant health risks; whereas pharyngitis is a common clinical symptom in the pharyngeal and laryngeal areas, mainly caused by inflammatory reactions, and may involve sensations of a foreign body in the throat, pain, and burning, but overall, it poses less risk to health. Additionally, the specific sites of disease onset differ. The lesions in laryngeal cancer primarily occur in the vocal cord area, with some in the supraglottic or subglottic areas, where new growths might be found, which can be identified through pathological biopsy. In contrast, pharyngitis primarily involves chronic congestion and inflammatory reactions of the mucous membranes in the pharyngeal area, with no direct new growth, which can be directly diagnosed and differentiated through pathological biopsy.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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The difference between esophageal cancer and laryngeal cancer

Esophageal cancer and laryngeal cancer are both malignant tumors. Esophageal cancer refers to the malignant tumor occurring in the esophagus, while laryngeal cancer refers to the malignant tumor occurring in the larynx. Therefore, their tumor locations are different. The pathology of both is generally squamous cell carcinoma. The main symptom of esophageal cancer is obstructed eating; patients will feel difficulty swallowing, obstruction, and worsening of these symptoms as they eat. The primary symptom of laryngeal cancer is typically a hoarse voice, which distinguishes the symptoms of the two cancers.

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Written by Xu Qing Tian
Otolaryngology
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How long does it take for throat cancer to develop?

Throat cancer is a common malignant tumor in otolaryngology, which usually forms over the course of a year or half a year. However, patients typically have long-term chronic stimuli and medical history before the tumor changes occur, such as a long history of smoking or drinking, as well as exposure to physical and chemical factors. Early symptoms of throat cancer often include hoarseness, while in the mid to late stages, patients may experience difficulty swallowing and breathing difficulties. We can make a definite diagnosis through local pathological biopsy, electronic laryngoscopy, and CT scans of the throat area. Early detection of throat cancer should lead to timely surgical treatment, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. For late-stage patients who are not suitable for surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy should be administered promptly to extend the patient's lifespan.