Library · Neoplasm
Laryngeal cancer
Make it clearer
Laryngeal cancer is a disease in which malignant cells, meaning cancer cells, show up in the tissues of the larynx, which sits in your throat. The inside of the larynx is lined with squamous cells, thin, flat cells that cover it the way tiles cover a floor. Most of these cancers start right there, in that lining.
The larynx is also where your vocal cords are. When air pushes against them, they vibrate and make sound, a lot like the reed in a harmonica when you blow into it. The area where they sit is called the glottis. If the cancer starts in the glottis, the most common first symptom is hoarseness, that rough or raspy voice.
Then there's smoking, the factor that matters most in this cancer. A risk factor is anything that raises a person's chance of getting a disease, and smoking is the main one for laryngeal cancer: it accounts for more than 70% of cases.
In brief
Laryngeal cancer is a disease in which malignant cells form in the tissues of the larynx, part of the throat. Most cases start in the squamous cells lining its inner surface.
The larynx holds the vocal cords, which vibrate and make sound when air pushes against them. If cancer starts in the glottis, where the cords sit, hoarseness is the most common first symptom.
Smoking is the main risk factor, accounting for more than 70% of cases.
Sources (2)
- National Cancer Institute (NCI), PDQ Adult Treatment Editorial BoardLaryngeal Cancer Treatment (PDQ®), Patient VersionPublished
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingLaryngeal Cancer, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated