There is a fatal carelessness called: mistaking laryngeal cancer for laryngitis

"Isn't this laryngitis for me, how can it be cancer, is it a misdiagnosis?" Master Xu was shocked and couldn't believe what the doctor said and dragged his son to another hospital.

Master Xu had frequent symptoms of dry throat and a foreign body in his throat for nearly a month. He thought it was caused by fire, and took some anti-inflammatory drugs at the pharmacy in front of his house and finished eating them without relief.

As the time lengthened, his discomfort symptoms became more and more serious. The uneasy son took him to the hospital for an electronic laryngoscopy.

The laryngoscope showed that the mucous membrane of Master Xu's pharynx was abnormally congested, red, and swollen, and obvious lymphoid follicular hyperplasia was seen in the posterior wall, which was considered to be caused by laryngeal cancer.

The doctor took the tissue of the affected area for pathological biopsy under the laryngoscope, which confirmed his judgment, and Master Xu was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer.

In this regard, the doctor expressed his great regret. There are many clinical cases similar to Master Xu, who would naturally treat laryngeal inappropriateness as laryngitis and wait until the condition is serious before seeking medical examination, which is often very serious by then.

A. There is a fatal carelessness called: mistaking laryngeal cancer for pharyngitis

Acute pharyngitis usually starts more rapidly and causes dryness, burning, and pain in the pharynx, and the pain is more obvious when eating.

Some patients have a fever, headache, and loss of appetite along with discomfort in the throat. The duration of chronic pharyngitis is at least 2 months. Patients will experience dryness, itching, and swelling in the throat, and they are prone to dryness and vomiting in daily life.

There are some similarities between the symptoms caused by laryngeal cancer and pharyngitis, which can be easily confused by people. Dr. Zhou Shuihong of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University Medical College reminds us that we must be alert to 4 kinds of "alarms" of laryngeal cancer in daily life.

Sore throat: The pain caused by laryngeal cancer will persist and cannot be relieved even after treatment. If you find that your throat pain is not relieved even after 2 weeks of treatment, you should be highly alert to the possibility of mucosal ulcers caused by malignant tumors.

Hoarseness: Hoarseness is also one of the more common manifestations of laryngeal cancer, no matter how small the lesion is, it will involve the vocal cords. Some hoarseness caused by cold or inflammation will gradually subside as the condition improves, but hoarseness caused by laryngeal cancer will be progressively aggravated with time, and may even develop into a complete loss of voice subsequently.

Neck lumps: Under normal circumstances, our neck should be smooth and free of foreign bodies. If you find any abnormal lumps in the neck, you must be highly alert, especially those with a hard texture and large size, you should be highly alert to the lymph node metastasis of laryngeal cancer.

Foreign body sensation in the throat: For those who are over 50 years old and have recurrent throat discomfort lasting for more than one month, they should be alerted.

When you suspect that you are suffering from laryngeal cancer, it is recommended to go to the hospital for an examination promptly. At present, the commonly used examinations include neck palpation, telescopy, CT and other imaging, and laryngoscopy.

The latter two require the help of instruments, including indirect laryngoscopy, direct laryngoscopy, stroboscopy, CT, X-ray, MRI, etc. The specific tests should be performed according to the recommendations of professional doctors.

The throat can't stand such "torment", and 4 habits can easily lead to laryngeal cancer

If you still have these habits, you are advised to change them as soon as possible.

Habit 1: Eating too hot

The maximum temperature that our esophagus can tolerate is 65℃. Long-term intake of food that is too hot will lead to damage to the esophageal mucosa, and repeated damage will increase the risk of cancer.

Habit 2: Smoking

Smoking is an important risk factor for the development of laryngeal cancer. The mechanism of this is still unclear, but it can be concluded that there is a correlation between the two. Almost all patients diagnosed with laryngeal cancer have a history of smoking, and the longer the smoking age and the more people smoke, the higher the risk of developing laryngeal cancer.

Habit 3: Drinking alcohol

Alcohol can bring direct physical stimulation to our vocal cords, and long-term alcohol consumption can cause congestion of the vocal cord mucosa. Continuous drinking will make the mucous membrane of vocal cords jump in the process of damage and repair, which will easily lead to cell mutation and induce cancer.

Habit 4: HPV infection

HPV infection is also an important cause of laryngeal cancer because the epithelium of our larynx also belongs to squamous epithelium, which has a strong "affinity" for the HPV virus, and the risk of cancer in the larynx will be greatly increased after infection.

Preventing laryngeal cancer is not difficult and can start from 4 aspects

As mentioned above, the occurrence of laryngeal cancer is closely related to some details in life, so to prevent laryngeal cancer, you need to make changes to these details.

1. Stay away from risk factors

In daily life, you should avoid some risk factors that may trigger the occurrence of laryngeal cancer, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, etc. You should also avoid some places with serious environmental pollution.

2. Pay attention to a daily diet

The diet should be light and reduce the intake of spicy and stimulating foods to avoid stimulating the larynx. Eat mainly warm food, not too hot food.

3. Avoid excessive throat clearing and vocalization

Don't talk with your voice for a long time or excessively, especially for teachers and other special people, it is better to use a loudspeaker to reduce the pressure on your throat.

You can also use warm water to fumigate your throat, apply hot compresses to your throat and massage your throat to help relieve the pressure on your throat.

4. Pay attention to the laryngeal examination

It is recommended that all people should have regular throat checkups, preferably once a year. For special groups, such as teachers, middle-aged and elderly people, people with a long-term history of smoking and drinking, and people with a family history of laryngeal cancer, it is recommended to have a checkup once every six months.

The symptoms caused by laryngeal cancer can be easily confused with laryngitis, so it is important to pay attention to the distinction in daily life and it is recommended to seek medical examination when discomfort occurs without delay.