Before moving on to the signs and symptoms of throat cancer in women, it is important to have a fair idea about the nature of throat cancer and the specific part of the throat which gets affected. Throat cancer generally refers to laryngeal cancer or cancer of the larynx or voice box. This is a common enough occurrence in women, especially those women who smoke or consume alcohol on a regular basis.
Even the pharynx and the upper part of the esophagus are considered to fall in the throat region and therefore, cancers of these areas are also part of throat cancer. Though there is a popular perception that this type of cancer affects more men, many women are also being diagnosed with throat cancer. Hence one should not neglect the following symptoms if they appear on any account.
Common Symptoms
There are many common symptoms of throat cancer in women. For example, the first thing that should alert you is the sound of hoarseness in the voice. An unnatural quality in the sound of the voice, which persists over a period of time, usually indicates the presence of a tumor or a lump in the voice box.
The feeling of an unnatural body in the throat is also an indication. For example, this can indicate the presence of a lump in the throat. As a consequence you will also find it difficult to swallow, and the pain in throat will spread also the head and the ears. These are some of the most common warning signs of throat cancer in women. We often tend to overlook them or we don’t realize that these could be portents of throat cancer.
Symptoms of Advanced Throat Cancer
It must be noted that there is not much difference between the symptoms of throat cancer in men and in women. Other common warning or danger signals include laryngeal stridor, which refers to a sense of suffocation or obstruction in breathing. Blood in sputum or cough can also be an indication of throat cancer though it can also indicate other kinds of problems.
In later or more advanced stages of throat cancer, the need to constantly clear the throat, difficulty in swallowing or talking is pronounced. Severe pain can pose an obstacle to eating and swallowing, and as mentioned above, this pain will radiate from the throat to the ear and the head even more intensely in advanced stages of throat cancer.
