Sign and Symptom Laryngeal cancer

Patients with laryngeal cancer normally will experience symptoms like hoarseness, sore throat,
shortness of breath and dysphagia. Laryngeal cancers that form on the vocal cords (glottis) often cause
hoarseness or a change in the voice. These symptoms observed in early or moderately advanced stages
of laryngeal cancers. When swelling of cervical soft tissues are present, and no sign of infection was
obtained, it has to be evaluated carefully because lymph node metastases are frequently the first clinical
sign of larynx carcinoma. Unexplained deep pain should prompt the physician to consider a possible
pharyngeal or laryngeal origin1.

If you have hoarseness for more than 3 weeks and sore throat for more than 6 weeks, it can be the sign
of laryngeal cancer. Difficulty in swallowing might be because of the tumor or swelling is causing a
blockage. Weight loss is the most common symptoms in many cancers. It usually more prominent in
laryngeal cancer because patients having difficulty and pain during swallowing. This tends to reduce
patients appetite. Besides, patients will complaint having cough that does not go away and their
breathing become noisy (stridor). Other symptoms are halitosis and ear ache for a long time is rare2.

1) Lisa L. et al., 2003. Cancer of the Larynx. Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology, 47;65-80
2) Laryngeal Cancer. Cancer Research UK. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-
cancer/laryngeal-cancer/symptoms. Accessed on 9 March 2017