What are the symptoms of laryngeal cancer patients before death

Laryngeal cancer is a relatively common malignant tumor, with an incidence rate of about 1% to 5% of all tumors in the body. It ranks third in the field of otolaryngology, second only to nasopharyngeal cancer and sinus cancer. The mortality rate of laryngeal cancer among Chinese residents is at an upper-middle level, increasing with age. The mortality rate of laryngeal cancer in men is higher than that in women, and there are differences in mortality rates between different regions. So what are the symptoms before death from advanced laryngeal cancer?

Five major death symptoms of advanced laryngeal cancer

1. Coughing and blood in sputum: This occurs after the cancer ruptures. Since the tumor carries a large number of abnormal new blood vessels, patients often find blood in their mucus or sputum after coughing. This symptom is mainly seen in patients with supraglottic and subglottic tumors and patients with mid- to late-stage vocal cord tumors. Early vocal cord tumors generally do not cause bleeding.

2. Dyspnea: This is a symptom of the later stages. When the tumor deteriorates severely and increases in size at the primary site, it will directly block the trachea and affect breathing or make it difficult for tracheal secretions to be discharged, leading to dyspnea.

3. Cervical lymph node metastasis: It can metastasize to the middle deep cervical lymph nodes on the same side, and may metastasize to the opposite side in the late stage.

4. Pain in the inner ear: When laryngeal cancer develops to a certain extent and produces ulcers and severe inflammation in the throat, it can cause reflex pain in the nerves. Early vocal cord tumors generally do not produce reflex pain. Reflex pain mainly occurs in patients with supraglottic tumors in the middle and late stages.

5. Other symptoms: Late-stage symptoms of laryngeal cancer also include laryngoscopy, early thickening of the vocal cords, congestion on one side, a rough and uneven surface, and gradual appearance of granular protrusions on the surface of the vocal cords, which later become papillary or cauliflower-like tumors. After a while, the movement of the vocal cords is restricted or fixed. In the late stage, it often becomes an ulcer and develops to the upper and lower parts of the larynx, invading the adjacent tissues of the larynx, and metastasis to the cervical lymph nodes.