Smokers are more likely to get laryngeal cancer

Talking about laryngeal cancer, experts say that laryngeal cancer is a malignant tumor of the larynx, ranking third among malignant tumors in the ENT department, and the incidence rate has been increasing in the past 40 years. Laryngeal cancer is more common in people over 40 years old. It is more common in men than in women, with a male-to-female ratio of 10:1. More than 90% of laryngeal cancer patients have a long history of smoking, generally for more than 20 years. The incidence rate of laryngeal cancer is proportional to the amount of smoking per day and the total time of smoking. It has been confirmed that benzopyrene in the tar produced by tobacco combustion has a carcinogenic effect. Tobacco can cause mucosal congestion and edema, epithelial hyperplasia and squamous metaplasia, and cessation or retardation of ciliary movement, which becomes the basis for carcinogenesis.

The occurrence of laryngeal cancer is related to smoking and inhalation of harmful dust, but smoking accounts for 90% of the causes. On the basis of chronic inflammation of the pharynx, long-term stimulation from tobacco, alcohol, spicy food, and frequent exposure to harmful dust can promote cancer. In addition, heavy smokers and drinkers will have a significantly higher risk of laryngeal cancer because the two have a synergistic effect. At present, the incidence of laryngeal cancer is higher in cities than in rural areas, and in heavy industrial cities with heavy air pollution than in light industrial cities with light pollution.

Symptoms of laryngeal cancer

The early symptoms of laryngeal cancer are generally not obvious. Some only present as a foreign body sensation in the throat and hoarseness. They can easily be mistaken for respiratory diseases such as colds, pharyngitis, bronchitis, and be ignored.

Typical symptoms of laryngeal cancer include hoarseness, sore throat, difficulty breathing, or coughing up blood. The appearance of a lump in the neck is also a common symptom of laryngeal cancer. Due to the different locations of laryngeal cancer, the time of onset of hoarseness symptoms is also different. For example, in vocal cord cancer, because the tumor grows on the vocal cords, hoarseness first occurs, which easily attracts people's attention and is discovered earlier. Vocal cord cancer is the most common type of laryngeal cancer, accounting for about 60%. Laryngeal cancer that occurs in the supraglottic or subglottic area often manifests as discomfort in the throat or a foreign body sensation because the early symptoms are not obvious. When hoarseness occurs, it is generally in the late stage. All middle-aged and older patients with abnormal throat discomfort and foreign body sensation, and hoarseness for more than 2 weeks, should undergo a detailed laryngoscopy to detect laryngeal cancer at an early stage.

Experts remind everyone that all middle-aged men with a long history of smoking who have unexplained hoarseness and throat discomfort for more than 2 weeks should go to the hospital for fiberoptic laryngoscopy. Early diagnosis and timely treatment are the key to improving the cure rate of laryngeal cancer. Currently, early vocal cord cancer can be treated with carbon dioxide laser, and the survival rate is mostly above 90%.