Throat Cancer Stages
Throat cancer is related to the oral cavity and the upper part of the throat. Throat cancer affects the functions like breathing, speaking, chewing and any function related to the pharynx. It has common symptoms like sore throat, pains during breathing and the lump in the mouth. This disease can be classified as per its location and spread. Generally, throat cancer is staged according to the size of the cancer area.
Staging Throat Cancer
Staging the cancer includes identifying the spread of the cancer and its severity. Staging the throat cancer also helps to use proper treatments for effective cure. It is also important to detect whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Throat cancer can be detected in early stage, advanced and metastatic (Please check this word) stage. The symptoms and treatments differ in all the stages of throat cancer. These stages of throat cancer include -
Early Stage :
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The first three stages are considered as the early stage of the cancer. In these stages, the cancer is limited to the small place and can be treated by radiation therapy and surgery.
- Stage I : The cancer spreads only in the small area, and its size can be between 1-2 centimeters. It doesn't spread into the lymph nodes. Throat cancer can be treated by surgery in which infected cancerous tissues are removed.
- Stage II : The cancer increases more than 2 centimeters, but within 4 centimeters. It doesn't spread to the lymph nodes in this stage.
- Stage III : If the cancer is small and has not spread to the distant parts, it is considered under the early stage. The affected node can be removed with the help of treatment methods. Generally, cancers in the third stage are extensive than the early stages cancer.
When the cancer cells spread to the lymph nodes, this is considered as the advanced stage of cancer. The cancer size increases than 4 centimeters and can be found in back of neck as well.
- Stage IV : In this stage, the cancer cells spread to the tissues near to mouth and lips. It may be that the lymph nodes have cancer cells on the both sides at the same time. The lymph sides and both sides of neck are infected by the cancer cells. The cancer size increases more than six centimeters.
The cancer treatment for the third and forth stage need to use the combination of different methods and therapies. Sometimes, Chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery treatments are combined to treat the advanced cancer. In most of the advanced cases include the removal of larynx which is process is called Larygectomy. The process of removing pharynx is called Pharygectomy.
In some advanced cases, the cancer cells go beyond the pharynx and larynx, so the neck dissection is performed to cure the cancer. After surgery, radiation therapy also used to diminish the rest of cancer cells.
