Staging Of Throat Cancer

Before the appropriate treatment can be given, the cancer stage of the patient (extent of patient's cancer) needs to be known in detail. The following table summarizes the American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging for Laryngeal Cancer (modified according to Ref. 1, p.639):

*Staging of throat cancer (laryngeal cancer)*
Stage:	Description of extent of cancer:
I	cancer confined to site of origin, normal mobility
II	cancer invades adjacent supraglottic area or vocal cord without fixation, no LN *
III	cancer limited to larynx with fixation or local extension, there could be local LN
IV	cancer mass extends beyond larynx, destroyed thyroid cartilage, or spread to other areas, locally or via distant LN and distant metastases

* LN stands for lymph node metastases

Like with other cancers it is important to be sure that the cancer is still local before treating it as such. The treatment must be much more comprehensive for a more advanced cancer.

In the following brief outline I will comment on the different treatment modalities.

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Cancer overview

Throat cancer

Disclaimer:

This outline is only a teaching aid to patients and should stimulate you to ask the right questions when seeing your doctor. However, the responsibility of treatment stays in the hands of your doctor and you.

References:

1. Cancer: Principles &Practice of Oncology.4th edition. Edited by Vincent T. DeVita, Jr. et al. Lippincott, Philadelphia,PA, 1993. Chapter on Tumors of the Larynx and Hypopharynx.

2. Cancer: Principles&Practice of Oncology. 5th edition, volume 1. Edited by Vincent T. DeVita, Jr. et al. Lippincott-Raven Publ., Philadelphia,PA, 1997. Chapter on Tumors of the Larynx and Hypopharynx.

3. SM Jackson et al. Radiother Oncol 2001 May;59(2):219-220.

Last Modified: Jan. 27, 2008