Cancer is among the top 5 causes of mortality worldwide, and its frequency has increased in recent ways, mostly thanks to advances in its early diagnosis but also due to increased exposure to many of its risk factors. It is always bad news when someone is diagnosed with cancer, but not all cancers are the same, and understanding which type of cancer you or a loved one may have is important to understand how it is treated and how to best protect yourself from it. In this article, we will talk about throat cancer, how its occurs, its symptoms and diagnosis, and treatment options which exist for it.
What is throat cancer?
Throat cancer occurs in the tissues of the throat, including the voice box (larynx), tonsils, and the base of the tongue. Throat cancer is a relatively uncommon type of cancer, but its occurrence has increased significantly in recent decades. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 50,000 people got throat cancer in the United States in 2020. One of its features is that it is more common among males, and it tends to occur most frequently in people over the age of 50.