Larynx cancer treatment
Cancer of the larynx can be treated by radiotherapy, surgery and chemotherapy on their own or in combination. The team of doctors and nurses looking after you will plan your treatment based on your age, health and the type of tumour you have. This means that patients with the same type of cancer might have different treatment plans.
Radiotherapy
Small tumours in the larynx may be successfully treated with radiotherapy alone. You may also have radiotherapy after surgery to destroy any cancer cells left behind. Radiotherapy helps stop the cancer from coming back.
The main side effects of radiotherapy to your larynx are:
- sore mouth
- dry mouth
- hoarse voice.
Men can permanently lose hair on the areas of their throat being treated, however, the hair on your head will be unaffected. You may find that your voice is weaker or you lose the ability to talk completely, although this is a temporary effect.
Your mouth or throat may become dry and sore. It may become necessary for you to eat foods that are soft in texture or have a high water content. Your doctor will be able to prescribe painkillers, mouthwashes and saliva substitutes to help relieve these symptoms.
Larger tumours often require more treatment and it may be necessary to remove part of the larynx or remove it completely.
Surgery
Depending on the size of the cancer, you may need to have part of your larynx removed (a partial laryngectomy) or all of your larynx removed (a total laryngectomy).
The procedures and the extent and effects of surgery will be explained to you by your doctor beforehand. If you have any questions or do not understand the information that has been given to you, do not hesitate to ask questions or ask for the information to be given again in a different way. Your doctor or nurse will try to make sure you understand everything before consenting to treatment.
If only part of your larynx is removed, you should be able to speak once you have recovered from the operation. Your voice will be weaker then before as some of your vocal cords will have been removed.
A total laryngectomy means that your larynx is removed completely and this results in no connection between your mouth and lungs. As part of this procedure the surgeon will create an opening in the lower part of your neck to help you breathe. This opening is called a tracheostomy.
Following the operation you will breathe and communicate in different ways.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is treatment with anti-cancer drugs. It may be used to reduce the size of the tumour before surgery, which is called neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, or you may have chemotherapy after your surgery to help prevent the cancer from coming back.