The voice box, also known as the larynx, contains the vocal cords. Vocal cords help us with speech as well as breathing and swallowing. Voice box cancer is treated depending upon which area of the voice box the cancer begins to develop
Voice box cancer sites include:
- Supraglottic (above the vocal cords)
- Glottic (on the vocal cords)
- Subglottic (below the vocal cords)
Types of Laryngeal (Voice Box) Cancers
Voice box cancer can manifest in several different ways, and depending on the type, will require different treatment plans.
Types of voice box cancer treated by the Penn Head and Neck Cancer team include:
Symptoms of Laryngeal (Voice Box) Cancer
The following signs and symptoms could indicate voice box cancer:
- Hoarseness
- Voice changes
- A sore throat that does not go away
- Constant coughing
- Pain when swallowing
- Trouble swallowing
- Ear pain
- Trouble breathing
- Weight loss
- A lump or mass in the neck (due to spread of the cancer to nearby lymph nodes)