Can I have a baby if I have laryngeal cancer?

Can you still have children if you have laryngeal cancer? This question is of great concern to everyone. Laryngeal cancer surgery itself will not affect pregnancy, but because part of the vocal cords are removed, speaking will be affected and the sound quality will decline, but it will not be so severe that you cannot speak at all.

Laryngeal cancer has a great impact on the health of patients. For such diseases, we hope that people can pay attention to prevention and treatment. However, many people do not know the preventive measures for laryngeal cancer, let alone its harm. The following editor will summarize the harms of laryngeal cancer for everyone.

These are usually complications after surgery, such as tube blockage, tube dislocation, aspiration, misplacement, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, water and electrolyte imbalance, nasal infection, bad breath, etc.

Depending on where the cancer occurs, there are the following specific symptoms:

1. Supraglottic type

This includes cancers that originate above the vocal cords, such as the epiglottis, aryepiglottic folds, ventricular zone and laryngeal ventricle. This type of cancer is poorly differentiated and develops quickly. Because this area is rich in lymphatic vessels, it is easy to metastasize to the lymph nodes of the deep upper neck group located at the bifurcation of the common carotid artery. Early symptoms include a foreign body sensation in the throat and discomfort in the throat. When the surface of the cancer ulcerates, there will be swelling in the throat, which can be reflected to the ears and even affect swallowing. In the late stage, when the cancer erodes the blood vessels, there will be blood in the sputum, and there will often be smelly sputum. When the vocal cords are invaded, there will be hoarseness and difficulty breathing.

2. Glottal type

Tumors confined to the vocal cords are more common in the anterior and middle thirds, are well differentiated, and are classified as grades I and II. They develop slowly, and are not easy to metastasize to the cervical lymph nodes due to the small number of lymphatic vessels in the vocal cords. The main symptom is hoarseness, which gradually worsens. When the tumor grows larger, it blocks the glottis, causing laryngeal wheezing and dyspnea. In the late stage, there are bloody sputum and laryngeal obstruction.

3. Subglottic type

This refers to the cancer located below the vocal cords and above the lower edge of the cricoid cartilage. Because this area is relatively hidden, it is not easy to find during routine laryngoscopy. There may be no symptoms in the early stage, but cough and bloody sputum may occur later. In the late stage, breathing difficulties are common because the subglottic area is blocked by the cancer. It may also penetrate the cricothyroid membrane, invade the thyroid gland and the anterior soft tissue, and infiltrate along the anterior wall of the esophagus.

4. Paraglottal type

Refers to cancer originating in the laryngeal cavity, also known as transglottic cancer. This area is very hidden. There may be no symptoms in the early stage, and it is very easy to spread to the lateral paraglottic space. Its clinical characteristics are: hoarseness is the first symptom, often with vocal cord fixation, and no tumor. Later, as the cancer spreads to the paraglottic space, infiltrates and destroys the laryngeal cartilage, there may be sore throat.

If the thyroid cartilage alar plate and cricothyroid membrane on one side are invaded, a bulge of the laryngeal cartilage support can be felt on that side, and there is an irritating dry cough. It is usually diagnosed when it develops to two areas.

This is all we have to say about the dangers of laryngeal cancer. If people can understand the preventive measures and take active preventive measures in their lives, they can avoid the occurrence of diseases such as laryngeal cancer to a certain extent.