Head and neck cancers manifests in form of tumors in the throat, mouth and nasal cavity. According to the current statistics, around 50,000 new cases of these cancer types are diagnosed in the US every year; out of them around 70% cases occur in men. Many cases of head and neck cancers are treated with radiation therapy, which can leave the patients with certain moderate to severe side effects. Below we have discussed the most common side effects experienced by head and neck cancer patients treated with radiation therapy. Skin irritation: Skin areas treated with radiation therapy might experience changes like peeling and sun burn like effects. These conditions can be reduced up to a certain extent by avoiding use of perfumed skincare products and harsh soaps. Soreness and pain in the mouth: These  [...]

Throat cancer affects the body parts like tonsils, pharynx and larynx; this might make eating one of the most challenging tasks one can get. Some patients get tumor in the throat that makes swallowing liquids and foods absolutely impossible. Patient, who undergo throat cancer surgery followed by radiation therapy also find it difficult to eat because of occurrence of an extremely sore throat. However, doctors always suggest that throat cancer patients must make sure that they are getting adequate nutrients through food for avoiding infections and helping their body to recover faster. Eating the right kinds of food will also help these cancer patients in preventing weight loss, maintaining energy levels and getting back to normal life. When a throat cancer patient suffers from sore throat after  [...]

Around fifty thousand people in the United States would be identified with cancer of the larynx (voice box) or cancer of the pharynx in 2010, as per estimates furnished by the Oral Cancer Foundation and over 13000 individuals dying from it. In spite of advancements in the field of medicine, the number of throat cancer cases continues to be steadfast, according to the initiator of the Oral Cancer Foundation, Mr. Brian Hill. Factually he adds that there has been a sharp rise in throat cancer cases in the past ten years. Here is the additional info on the same. Throat Cancer Types The key types of throat cancer are oropharyngeal and laryngeal cancer. Laryngeal cancer or cancer of the larynx afflicts the voice box and widespread among the smoker community. Oropharyngeal cancer develops in the region  [...]

Michael Douglas would be facing chemotherapy sessions spanning for duo months after physicians detected tumor presence in his throat region. The sixty-five year old Oscar-winner, Douglas would be undergoing 8-week long sessions of chemotherapy plus radiotherapy. Douglas’s physicians anticipate him to completely recover, as per information provided to the famed People magazine. Married to Catherine Zeta-Jones, Douglas is quite positive about ably tiding though the disease. A spokesperson for the Wall Street star did not corroborate the form of cancer he had, when it was identified or when therapy commences. He additionally turned down any queries for answering Michael’s smoking past. Larynx cancers are generally linked to binge drinking and smoking. Chemotherapy is mostly employed  [...]

According to a recent study conducted by scientists from the Univ. of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, the levels of a major form of immune cell are in greater numbers in people with head and neck cancer whose tumors are associated with the HPV (human papillomavirus). The study outcomes indicates a means of forecasting which type of tumors would in most likelihood be showing favorable response to radiation and chemotherapy which would ultimately help physicians in choosing the best therapy alternative in the foremost instant. Presenting the study findings in the yearly conference of the American Head and Neck Society on 29th April, Prof. at the U-M Medical School and study author, Gregory T. Wolf explained that previously toxic-natured chemotherapy was administered to patients, after which  [...]

It got well-known toughie, Denver Nuggets Coach, George Karl to a teary breakdown and stilling the voice of famed movie critic Roger Ebert. Head and neck cancer though atypical is malicious – stripping voices, distorting faces and robbing the fundamental ability of eating, drinking and swallowing. During a press meet, Coach Karl made a candid announcement of having neck and throat cancer and mentioning about carrying on coaching, however would be missing out on a number of matches and practice sessions. Coach Karl has been diagnosed with a form of cancer – squamous cell carcinoma detected on one of his tonsils – is a prevalently occurring form of cancer and treated using chemo or radiation therapy. Lately, another luminary, movie critic Roger Ebert was also diagnosed with head and neck  [...]

Larynx Cancer Symptoms: The signs of larynx cancer are dependent on the extent and site of the tumor. Majority of larynx cancer originate on the vocal cords. Such tumors rarely cause pain though they mostly lead to gruffness or other variations in the voice. If tumor growths arise in the location above the vocal cords, there is generally a lumpy appearance on the neck, soreness in the throat or earaches experienced. Tumors initiating in the site beneath the vocal cords are quite atypical and could lead to breathing distress that could get noisy. A persistent cough or sensing a lump in the throat. As the tumor proliferates, it could lead to discomfort and pain, reduction in weight, foul breath and one might start to choke or gag while ingesting food. In certain situations, a larynx tumor  [...]