What are the early symptoms and signs of laryngeal cancer? Can laryngeal cancer be cured? How long can one live?

Laryngeal cancer (carcinoma of laryngology) is a relatively common malignant tumor, with an incidence rate of about 1-5% of all tumors in the body. In the field of otolaryngology, it ranks third after nasopharyngeal carcinoma and nasal and paranasal sinus cancer. The most common age is 50 to 70 years old. It is more common in men than in women, about 8:1, and the incidence rate is highest in Northeast China, North China and East China. The cause of the disease is not very clear, but the patients almost always have a long history of smoking. The symptoms vary depending on the vocal location of the cancer. Hoarseness may occur in the early stages of vocal cord cancer, while supraglottic cancer often manifests as discomfort in the throat or foreign body freezing, pain, and is often not obvious, which can easily delay diagnosis. In the late stage, there may be obvious hoarseness, laryngeal sound, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, pain, swallowing disorders, neck masses and cervical lymph node enlargement.

Due to different types, the symptoms may appear earlier or later and the severity of the disease may also vary. The main symptoms are: (i) Hoarseness: It is the earliest symptom of vocal cord cancer, which is often persistent and gradually worsens. The early symptoms of subglottic cancer are not obvious, while hoarseness is a symptom of the later stage. (ii) Foreign body sensation and pain in the throat: It is often a symptom of supraglottic cancer that appears earlier. After the cancer ruptures, throat pain may occur, sometimes radiating to the ear on the same side, which is a symptom of the later stage. (iii) Cough and blood in sputum: It occurs after the cancer ruptures and is a common symptom. (iv) Dyspnea: It is a symptom of the later stage, indicating that the cancer has developed to the point of blocking the laryngeal cavity. (v) Cervical lymph node metastasis: It can metastasize to the deep middle cervical lymph nodes on the same side, and may metastasize to the opposite side in the late stage. The order of symptoms in different primary sites may be different. 1. Supraglottic laryngeal cancer mostly originates from the root of the lingual surface of the epiglottis. There are no symptoms in the early stage, and even when the tumor develops to a considerable extent, there are only mild or non-specific sensations, such as itchy throat, foreign body sensation, and swallowing discomfort, which often cause alarm only when the tumor metastasizes to the lymph nodes. This type of tumor is poorly differentiated and develops rapidly. When deep infiltration occurs, there may be throat pain, which radiates to the ears. If the tumor invades the spoon-shaped cartilage, the glottis, or the recurrent laryngeal nerve, it may cause hoarseness. In the late stage, patients will experience breathing and swallowing difficulties, cough, blood in sputum, and hemoptysis. Therefore, middle-aged and older patients who have persistent throat discomfort should pay attention to it, check in time, and detect the tumor early and treat it. 2. Since the primary site of glottic laryngeal cancer is the vocal cord, the early symptoms are changes in voice, such as fatigue and weakness in pronunciation, which are easily considered as "pharyngitis". Therefore, those over 40 years old with hoarseness for more than 2 weeks should undergo careful laryngoscopy. As the tumor progresses, hoarseness may worsen or even lose voice, and the increase in tumor volume may cause breathing difficulties. In the late stage, as the tumor develops to the supraglottic or subglottic area, it may be accompanied by radiating ear pain, dyspnea, dysphagia, dysphagia and halitosis. Finally, death may occur due to massive bleeding, aspiration pneumonia or cachexia. This type is generally not easy to metastasize, but lymph node metastasis will soon occur if the tumor breaks through the glottis. 3. Subglottic laryngeal cancer This type is rare, and the primary site is located below the plane of the vocal cords and above the lower edge of the cricoid cartilage. Due to the hidden location, the early symptoms are not obvious and it is easy to misdiagnose. When the tumor develops to a considerable extent, irritating cough and hemoptysis may occur. Subglottic blockage may cause dyspnea. When the tumor invades the vocal cords, hoarseness occurs. For those with unexplained aspiration dyspnea and hemoptysis, the subglottic area and trachea should be carefully examined. 4. Transglottic laryngeal cancer refers to laryngeal cancer that originates in the laryngeal ventricle and crosses the supraglottic and glottic areas. It is not easy to detect in the early stage, and the tumor develops slowly. It takes more than six months from the appearance of the first symptoms to a clear diagnosis.

There is no definite cause of laryngeal cancer. It may be caused by the combined effect of multiple factors, mainly the following aspects. 1. Smoking Smoking is closely related to respiratory tumors. Most laryngeal cancer patients have a long history of heavy smoking. The incidence of laryngeal cancer is proportional to the daily smoking amount and the total smoking time. In addition, passive smoking cannot be ignored and may also cause cancer. When smoking, tobacco burning can produce tar, in which benzopyrene has a carcinogenic effect, which can cause mucosal edema, congestion, epithelial hyperplasia and squamous metaplasia, stop ciliary movement, and thus cause cancer. 2. Drinking According to surveys, drinkers are 1.5 to 4.4 times more likely to develop laryngeal cancer than non-drinkers, especially supraglottic laryngeal cancer is closely related to drinking. Smoking and drinking have a synergistic effect in carcinogenesis. 3. Air pollution Long-term inhalation of industrial dust, sulfur dioxide, chromium, arsenic, etc. may lead to respiratory tumors. Cities with severe air pollution have a high incidence of laryngeal cancer, and urban residents have a higher incidence than rural residents. 4. Occupational factors Long-term exposure to toxic chemicals, such as mustard gas, asbestos, nickel, etc. 5. Viral infection Human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause laryngeal papilloma, which is currently considered a precancerous lesion of laryngeal cancer. 6. Sex hormones The larynx is a secondary sex organ and is considered a target organ for sex hormones. Male laryngeal cancer patients are significantly more likely to be female. Clinical studies have found that laryngeal cancer patients have higher testosterone levels than normal people and lower estrogen levels; testosterone levels drop significantly after tumor resection. 7. Trace element deficiency Certain trace elements are important components of some enzymes in the body. Deficiency may cause changes in the structure and function of the enzymes, affect cell division and growth, and cause gene mutations. 8. Radiation Long-term exposure to radionuclides such as radium, uranium, and radon can cause malignant tumors.

The cause of laryngeal cancer has not been fully understood, so it cannot be completely prevented, but excessive smoking and drinking, exposure to radiation and harmful substances should be avoided. Patients with chronic pharyngitis should avoid long-term and continuous irritating foods. Patients with benign laryngeal lesions with a tendency to malignant transformation should seek early treatment to remove the lesions. When symptoms related to laryngeal cancer appear, especially middle-aged and elderly male patients should go to the hospital for examination in time to achieve early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment.

1. Western medicine treatment of laryngeal cancer 1. Surgical treatment of laryngeal cancer: 1. Laryngeal fissure CO2 laser tumor resection, suitable for carcinoma in situ, T1 lesions, unilateral laryngeal cancer. 2. Vertical partial laryngectomy, suitable for T1, selective T2, T3. 3. Horizontal partial laryngectomy, suitable for tumors above the glottic plane, T2-T3. 4. 3/4 laryngectomy or 7/8 laryngectomy, selective T2, T3. 5. Total laryngectomy, suitable for T3, T4, voice reconstruction can be performed when conditions permit. 6. Functional or radical neck dissection is performed according to the patient's condition. 2. Radiotherapy: 1. Simple radiotherapy: carcinoma in situ, T2, dose 60-70Gy. 2. Preoperative radiotherapy: For patients with a wide range of lesions, preoperative radiotherapy can be performed. The dose of 60C0 preoperative radiotherapy is 45-50Gy within 4 weeks, and surgical treatment is performed within 2-4 weeks after the end of radiotherapy. 3. Postoperative radiotherapy: Radiotherapy 2 to 4 weeks after partial laryngectomy or total laryngectomy. 4. Postoperative radiotherapy has similar effects to preoperative radiotherapy. 5. For carcinoma in situ, skin peeling can be performed under a supported laryngoscope, followed by postoperative radiotherapy. Syndrome differentiation and treatment of laryngeal cancer 2. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment: A large number of clinical practices have shown that high-dose radiotherapy and chemotherapy for patients in the middle and late stages, or chemotherapy again for patients with drug resistance, can only make the weak life more critical and accelerate the patient's death. It can often be seen in clinical practice that the cause of death of patients is not caused by the cancer itself, but by unscientific and inappropriate lethal treatment. For example, after multiple interventions for liver cancer, ascites, jaundice and other liver failure occurred, leading to death; lung cancer pleural effusion chemotherapy led to respiratory failure and death; gastric cancer and intestinal cancer chemotherapy caused nausea and vomiting, and patients died of more failure; white blood cell count decreased, and patients died of infection, etc. Traditional Chinese medicine can make up for the deficiencies of surgical treatment, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. It can not only consolidate the effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, but also eliminate the toxic side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.1. Prescriptions and folk prescriptions Prescriptions: ① 30-50g of dried stone cypress (or 90-120g of fresh product) plus 30-60g of lean pork. Take 1 dose per day, decoct twice and take it in divided doses. 15-30 days is a course of treatment. The dosage can be increased or decreased as appropriate. Efficacy: Guangzhou First People's Hospital South China Cancer Hospital used this prescription to treat 1 case, and the tumor disappeared after taking half a kilogram of medicine. ② 62g of white flower snake tongue grass, 15g of dried toad skin, 31g of white cornus, 31g of oyster, 3lg of seaweed, 15g of Sophora flavescens, 3lg of isatis indigo leaf, 9g of angelica, 15g of northern adenophora, (31g of Polygonum cuspidatum, 62g of Yanghai root, 62g of rattan pear root, first decocted for 3 hours and then decocted with the above medicine). Efficacy: Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine used this prescription to cure 1 case. 2. Folk remedy: ① 120g of snow green (also known as throat grass), decoct in water and drink instead of tea. ② Walnut kernels, eat or cook with barley. 3. Food recipe: ① 1 bitter gourd, 50g of red beans, 20g of jujube, appropriate amount of rock sugar and honey. Preparation method: Wash the bitter gourd, take the pulp, add water to boil into a thick juice, add red beans, cook into a soup, and finally add jujube, rock sugar, honey and other seasonings. ② 15g of white tuckahoe, add 300ml of water to boil, take three times.

1. The most suitable food: (1) Animal food: lean pork, beef, mutton, chicken, duck, pigeon, etc., yellow croaker, salted fish, eggs. (2) Seaweed: jellyfish, kelp, laver, sea cucumber, seaweed. (3) Beans: various soybean products, such as soy milk, tofu, vegetarian chicken and other plant foods. (4) Fresh dark green and yellow and orange vegetables, eggplant. (5) Fruits: fresh fruits. (6) Nuts such as red dates, longan, walnuts, etc. (7) Grains: various grains and their products. Dietary therapy: 1) Egg therapy to assist laryngeal cancer treatment Recipe 1 [Ingredients] 1 egg white, 1.5g pig tooth soap. [Usage] Grind the pig tooth soap into powder and mix it with egg white; hold it in your mouth or take it with boiled water until saliva flows out. Recipe 2 [Ingredients] 250ml radish juice, 1 egg. [Usage] Steam the eggs, peel the eggs and swallow them, then drink hot radish juice. Recipe 3 [Composition] 2 eggs, 30g of Adenophora Root. [Usage] Boil the eggs and Adenophora Root with two bowls of water, peel the eggs and boil them for half an hour after they are cooked, add rock sugar or white sugar; drink the soup and eat the eggs. Recipe 4 [Composition] 1 egg inner membrane, 3g of Jade Butterfly, 2 Sterculia lychnophora, 6g of Raw Licorice. [Usage] Add water to boil the egg membrane, Jade Butterfly, etc. Recipe 5 [Composition] 2 egg yolks, 15-20g of Radix Rehmanniae, 12g of Lily, 18g of Mother of Pearl, 10g of White Peony Root, 15g of Coptis chinensis. [Usage] First boil the mother of pearl in water, then add Radix Rehmanniae, Lily, White Peony Root, Coptis chinensis, and then add the egg yolk, take the soup and take it; 1 dose per day, divided into 2 doses. (2) Tea therapy prescriptions for the prevention and treatment of laryngeal cancer Prescription 1 [Composition] 5 salted olives, 5g bamboo leaves, 2 black plums, 5g green tea, 10g white sugar. [Usage] Boil with water and drink the soup; take twice a day, 1 cup each time. Prescription 2 [Composition] 5g cicada slough, 10g green tea. [Usage] Put the above two ingredients into a teapot, brew with boiling water, and brew as you drink. Prescription 3 [Composition] 200g loofah, 5g tea leaves. [Usage] Brew the tea leaves with boiling water and take the juice; wash the loofah, slice it, add salt and cook it, pour in the tea juice and mix well before taking. Prescription 4 [Composition] 9g fine tea leaves (preferably before Qingming Festival), 9g mint, 9g phellodendron; 6g borax. [Usage] Grind the above medicines into very fine powder, take the clean powder and mix well, add 0.9g borneol, and blow it. (3) Medicinal porridge assists in the treatment of laryngeal cancer. Recipe 1: Asparagus and orange peel porridge [Ingredients] 30g Asparagus, 15g orange peel, 100g polished rice. [Usage] Decoction the first two ingredients in water to extract the juice, and cook with polished rice to make porridge; 1 dose per day. Take for 7 consecutive days. Recipe 2: Red peony root and trichosanthes porridge [Ingredients] 10g red peony root, 15g trichosanthes seed, 100g polished rice. [Usage] Decoction the first two ingredients in water to extract the juice, and cook with polished rice to make porridge. Recipe 3: Radish and olive porridge [Ingredients] 50g carrot, 30g olive, 100g polished rice. [Usage] Wash the carrot, slice it, and decoct it with the olive to extract the juice, and add the polished rice to make porridge. Take 1 dose per day, and take 5 to 7 doses. Recipe 4: Light Bamboo Leaf and Rehmannia Porridge [Ingredients] Light Bamboo Leaf 15g, Rehmannia 15g, Scutellaria 9g, 100g Japonica Rice, some sugar. [Usage] Add the first three ingredients into water.

1. Foods that should be eaten as little as possible: (1) Animal foods: fatty meat and fat poultry, salted meat and fish, smoked products such as sausages and red sausages. (2) Beans: dried beans. (3) Plant foods: pickled vegetables and stale vegetables. (4) Fruits: canned fruit or fruit-flavored drinks. 2. Foods that should not be eaten: (1) Animal foods: spoiled foods. (2) Beans: moldy bean products. (3) Plant foods: spoiled vegetables. (4) Grains: moldy grains and their products.