Pharyngitis is inflammation of pharyngeal mucosa, submucosa and its lymphoid tissue, which is mainly manifested as pharyngeal discomfort, foreign body sensation, sore throat, itchy throat, burning sensation, etc., and sometimes nausea.
Is pharyngitis related to cancer? When lung cancer tissue directly oppresses or invades the recurrent laryngeal nerve, or swollen lymph nodes oppresses or invades the recurrent laryngeal nerve, it will cause vocal cord paralysis and hoarseness. About one-third of patients with lung cancer will have hoarseness at different stages of the course of the disease, especially in the cancer near the hilum and main bronchus, and the incidence of hoarseness is as high as 40%.
The characteristics of throat cancer and pharyngitis are very similar, so we need special vigilance!
First, hoarseness
Hoarseness is the earliest symptom of vocal cord cancer. Most of them are persistent and gradually aggravated. The early symptoms of glottic laryngeal cancer are not significant, while hoarseness is a late symptom. Glottic carcinoma is the most common type of laryngeal carcinoma in Guangdong. Because the tumor grows on the vocal cords, it is easy to cause hoarseness in the early stage.
Second, foreign body sensation in the throat
Foreign body sensation, obstruction and pain in the throat are often the symptoms of glottic cancer in the early stage, and pain in the throat occurs after the cancer breaks down.
Third, the neck mass
Laryngeal cancer, especially glottic laryngeal cancer, is prone to cervical lymph node metastasis and form a cervical mass.
Fourth, blood in sputum
Seeing a small amount of bloodshot in sputum, especially the first sputum in the morning, we should be highly alert to the risk of cancer in the throat. If it is caused by chronic pharyngitis, the symptoms will gradually ease after medication or over time.
5. Dysphagia and dyspnea
About 60% of patients with laryngeal cancer, especially patients with non-glottic laryngeal cancer, often see a doctor when they have difficulty swallowing, when cancer has begun to block the laryngeal cavity.
Many patients with early throat cancer have typical symptoms such as sore throat, hoarseness and foreign body sensation in the throat, which are often mistaken for chronic pharyngitis and easily overlooked, thus delaying the treatment opportunity.
In fact, many lesions of laryngeal cancer patients are developed step by step, such as leukoplakia of vocal cords, which belong to precancerous lesions. It is a white plaque appearing on the mucosa due to poor keratinization of vocal cords mucosa, and it is a pathological change caused by upper respiratory tract infection, harmful gas stimulation and excessive use of sound. So there is still a difference between pharyngitis and throat cancer.