ENT cancers are frequently diagnosed in men. We detail the causes, prevention methods and treatment options with oncologist Radu Berceanu.
“The most common are cancers of the oral cavity: pharynx and larynx. Their incidence is somewhere around 7%. We can say that it is an average frequency when we analyze them from the total number of cancers in our country.
However, they are a significant source of suffering for the population and it is important that they are addressed correctly from the beginning because they can be cured. These types of cancers have an impact both physically and mentally because they somewhat mutilate us.
These cancers start subtly. At first, you can have small changes in your voice, you can have problems swallowing, local discomfort. At first you think they are caused by a possible cold. Over time, through the extension of the disease locally, bleeding, difficulty breathing, swelling in the sides of the throat, and even persistent or foul-smelling secretions may occur.
At the same time, with certain tumors, such as tumors of the nasopharynx or paranasal sinuses, headaches can be a fairly prevalent and persistent symptom. Many of the patients say that they had symptoms for many months before seeing a doctor and ended up seeing a doctor when these symptoms got complicated or they were pressured by their family to see a doctor.
If the tumor is very advanced and is located in an area that affects the larynx, directly or indirectly, it may be necessary to apply some treatments that result in total inability to speak. But there is hope because there are non-surgical treatments that can heal like surgical treatments, and these patients are very likely to keep their speech.
Oral hygiene is extremely important. We need to treat our dental problems. When there are chronic oral problems, the inflammation produced by lesions in the dental sphere can lead to cancer.
Smoking is very frequently involved in the occurrence of ENT tumors. Of course, we must avoid excessive consumption and last but not least, it is very important to have adequate oral hygiene.
ENT cancer symptoms
- injuries to the mouth, throat
- voice changes
- pain/discomfort in throat, mouth, ear, back of head
- unusual ear/nasal discharge
- hearing loss
- swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck
- difficulty/pain when swallowing
- tightness in the throat
- persistent cough
- itching/burning in the mouth/throat
The HPV virus is increasingly involved in the occurrence of ENT tumors, especially oropharyngeal tumors. So when you have an ENT tumor caused by papillomavirus, your prognosis is better than when it is caused by smoking or something else. Prevention is very important. The anti-HPV vaccination is absolutely very effective in preventing the transmission of this virus in the population and helps greatly to reduce the risk of HPV-produced tumors.
We must understand that prevention is prevention. The earlier the better, because the risk of HPV-produced tumors is proportional to the risk of infection, to the duration of the infection, to the chronicity of the infection. So the more widely we can implement prevention, the better.
If you have already had the infection for 10, 20, 30 years, it is possible that the vaccine will help, but in this case the benefits are smaller compared to the situation where the vaccination was carried out since adolescence. As for the symptoms, they are the same symptoms, because they are not produced by the virus, per se, but by tumors.
Tumors can be cured. This is the most important message. We have many patients whom we have cured of very advanced tumors. And, of course, the chance of cure is greater the earlier you find the disease and the more correctly you treat it.
If the patient applies from the beginning, we have the best chance to cure him, even if he is in stage 3 or even stage 4, because the treatments are very effective, we have access to them including in our country and, through -a multidisciplinary approach, we can help a lot, a lot.
In conclusion, let’s quit smoking, take care of oral hygiene, get vaccinated if necessary and see a doctor at the first symptoms,” said doctor Radu Berceanu, on Friday, in the column Health advice with Andreea Cigolea from Antena 3 CNN.
It is also important to know that the dentist is often aware of these tumors and sends the patient on for investigations. A common observation is that patients who are chronic smokers or who drink alcohol often neglect their teeth and do not go to a dental consultation, i.e. those prone to cancer.
The most important risk factors of ENT cancer
- reducing smoking
- reducing excessive alcohol consumption
- HPV infections
- poor oral hygiene
