Overview and Facts about Oropharyngeal Cancer
Oropharyngeal cancer occurs when cancerous cells start to grow in a part of the throat called the oropharynx, which sits right behind the mouth.
This cancer might grow on your tonsils, the back and side walls of the throat, the soft palate (the back of the roof of your mouth), or the back part of the tongue.
Statistics show that around 51,000 adults in the United States are diagnosed with oropharyngeal, or oral cancer, on a yearly basis.
Signs and Symptoms of Oropharyngeal Cancer
Initially, the signs of oropharyngeal cancer might mimic other sicknesses, so you may not realize you have cancer at first.
The most common symptoms are a sore throat that doesn’t go away and trouble swallowing. Other symptoms to look out for include:
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A lump in the back of your throat, mouth or neck
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A white patch on the lining of your mouth or tongue
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Being unable to fully open your mouth
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Being unable to move your tongue around
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Pain in the ear
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Persistent coughing, especially involving blood
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Unexplained weight loss
Causes and Risk Factors of Oropharyngeal Cancer
Two common risk factors for oropharyngeal cancer are smoking and having a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Other factors that increase your risk for this cancer include:
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Chewing betel nut, which is a stimulant drug commonly used in Asia
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Drinking a lot of alcohol
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Having a family or personal history of head and/or neck cancer
One of the biggest risk factors for oropharyngeal cancer, which is beyond your control, is being male, as this cancer as twice as common in men than in women. Age is also a factor, as the average age of an oropharyngeal cancer diagnosis is 62.
Tests and Diagnosis of Oropharyngeal Cancer
Patients are best evaluated by an expert otolaryngology team and cancer center. There, a doctor who specializes in diseases of the ear, nose, and throat can perform a physical exam and look at your medical history.
To diagnosis oropharyngeal cancer, you’ll need to visit an otolaryngology (ENT) department. Here, ear, nose, and throat experts can take a look at your mouth and throat to see if anything looks amiss.
In addition to a physical exam, your doctor might order the following tests:
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Biopsy, which involves removing some tissue so it can be examined under a microscope
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CT scan
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MRI
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PET scan, which is good for specifically identifying cancer cells
Treatment and Care for Oropharyngeal Cancer
These types of cancers can be treated with surgery, radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy or a combination of these. The extent of surgery would depend on the location and size of the tumor.
Treaments are best given at a cancer center with a lot of experience in these specific cancers.
