Symptoms & Signs
- Abnormal (high-pitched) breathing sounds
- Cough
- Coughing up blood
- Difficulty swallowing
- Hoarseness that does not get better in 1 – 2 weeks
- Neck pain
- Sore throat that does not get better in 1 – 2 weeks, even with antibiotics
- Swelling or lumps in the neck
- Unintentional weight loss
Diagnosis & Tests
An examination of the neck and throat may show cancer of the throat.
Signs include:
- Bloody phlegm (sputum)
- Lump on the outside of the neck
Tests may include:
- Biopsy of tissue to confirm the presence of a cancerous tumor
- Cranial CT scan
- Cranial MRI
- Laryngoscopy
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Cancer – throat or larynx : Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
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Cancer – throat or larynx : Symptoms & Signs, Diagnosis & Tests
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Cancer – throat or larynx : Treatment
Review Date : 2/1/2010
Reviewed By : David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Seth Schwartz, MD, MPH, Otolaryngologist, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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