Hypopharyngeal cancer is a malignant disease (cancer) cells form in the tissues
hypopharynx.
The hypopharynx is the bottom of the pharynx (throat). Pharynx is a hollow tube about 5 inches long that starts behind the nose, down the neck, and ends at the top of the trachea (windpipe) and esophagus (the tube that runs from the throat to the stomach). Water and food through the pharynx on the way to the trachea or esophagus.
The hypopharynx is the bottom of the pharynx (throat). Pharynx is a hollow tube about 5 inches long that starts behind the nose, down the neck, and ends at the top of the trachea (windpipe) and esophagus (the tube that runs from the throat to the stomach). Water and food through the pharynx on the way to the trachea or esophagus.
Most hypopharyngeal cancers form in squamous cells, the thin, flat cells that line the inside of the hypopharynx. Hypopharynx has 3 different areas. Cancer can be found in one or more of these fields.
Hypopharyngeal cancer is a type of head and neck cancer.
Use of tobacco products and heavy drinking can affect the risk of hypopharyngeal cancer.
Risk factors include:
• Smoking tobacco.
• Chewing tobacco.
• Heavy use of alcohol.
• Eat a diet without enough nutrients.
• Having Plummer-Vinson syndrome.
• Chewing tobacco.
• Heavy use of alcohol.
• Eat a diet without enough nutrients.
• Having Plummer-Vinson syndrome.
Possible signs of hypopharyngeal cancer include a sore throat and ear pain.
These and other symptoms may be caused by hypopharyngeal cancer. Other conditions can cause similar symptoms. A doctor should be consulted if any of the following problems occur:
• Sore throat is not lost.
• Ear pain.
• A lump in the neck.
• Painful or difficult swallowing.
• Changes in voice.
Tests that examine the throat and neck are used to help detect (find) and diagnose hypopharyngeal cancer.
The following tests and procedures may be used:
• Physical exams throat: An exam in which the doctor feels for swollen lymph
nodes in the neck and looking down the throat with a small long-handled mirror
to check for abnormal areas.
• Endoscopy: A procedure used to view the area in the throat that can not be seen with a mirror during the physical examination of the throat. An endoscope (a thin, lighted tube) is inserted through the nose or mouth to examine the throat for anything that seems unusual. Tissue samples can be taken for biopsy.
• CT scan (CAT scan): A procedure that makes a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body, taken from different angles. The images created by computers connected to the x-ray machine. A dye may be injected into a vein or swallowed to help the organs or tissues show up more clearly. This procedure is also called computed tomography, computerized tomography, or computerized axial tomography.
• MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging): A procedure that uses a magnet, radio waves and computers to create a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body. This procedure is also called nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI).
• Head, neck, and chest X-ray: An x-ray of the head, neck and chest organs and bones. X-ray is a type of energy beam that can pass through the body and onto film, making pictures of areas inside the body.
• Barium esophagogram: An x-ray of the esophagus. The patient drinks a liquid that contains barium (a silver-white metallic compound). The liquid coats the esophagus and x-rays taken.
• Esophagoscopy: A procedure to look inside the esophagus to check for abnormal areas. An esophagoscope (a thin, lighted tube) is inserted through the mouth or nose and throat into the esophagus. Tissue samples can be taken for biopsy.
• Bronchoscopy: A procedure to look inside the trachea and large airways in the lungs for abnormal areas. A bronchoscope (a thin, lighted tube) is inserted through the nose or mouth into the trachea and lungs. Tissue samples can be taken for biopsy.
• Biopsy: removal of cells or tissues so they can be viewed under a microscope to check for signs cancer.
Certain factors affect prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options.
The prognosis (chance of recovery) depends on the following:
• The stage of the cancer (whether it affects part of the hypopharynx, involves the whole hypopharynx, or has spread to other places in the body). Hypopharyngeal cancer is usually detected at later stages because early symptoms rarely occur.
• Patient age, gender, and general health.
• The location of the cancer.
• Does the patient smoke during radiation therapy.
Treatment options depend on the following:
• Stage of cancer.
• Keeping the patient's ability to speak, eat, and breathe as normal as possible.
• Patients general health.
Patients who have had hypopharyngeal cancer are at increased risk of developing a second cancer in the head or neck. Frequent and careful follow-up is important.
