Pharyngeal cancer is cancer in the pharynx. Watch this video for more information on this condition, its symptoms, prevention, and how to treat it.
Avoid heavy tobacco use
Avoid heavy alcohol use
Contact doctor immediately if symptoms occur
Justin C. K. Davis, M.D. is one of San Francisco's finest house call specialist physicians, and has been providing house calls and office visits to the Bay Area since 2005. His practice is built upon a philosophy of excellent customer service and excellent patient care.
JUSTIN C.K. DAVIS, M.D.: Hi, my name is Dr. Justin Davis, and today I will be discussing pharyngeal cancer. Pharyngeal cancer is when you have cancer in the pharynx. The pharynx starts behind the nose and goes down and connects with the esophagus, the part of the body where food goes down eventually to the stomach. The pharynx is approximately five inches long in adults and is a hollow tube. Initially, food and ear will pass through the pharynx on their way to either the esophagus or the trachea. The symptoms of pharyngeal cancer can vary depending on the severity and exactly where it is located. But as you can imagine, being in the throat it may cause symptoms such as difficulty swallowing or breathing, coughing, coughing up blood or spitting up blood. Other common symptoms may include a change or hoarseness of the voice. Treatment really depends upon when it is diagnosed and how severe it is and where exactly it is located. Usually a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy are used to eliminate it. The cure rate depends also upon how advanced the cancer is when it is first diagnosed. How can you prevent this? Probably it is most associated with tobacco use and heavy alcohol use. So, avoiding these while they can solve many problems a person may have can also help to prevent pharyngeal cancer. If you think that you may be having any symptoms associated with pharyngeal cancer, such as a new change in your voice, chronic cough that is not going away, spitting up blood, or difficulty swallowing, then make sure that you let a physician know right away. It may not be pharyngeal cancer, but whatever it is it needs to be diagnosed and treated in a timely fashion.
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