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Upper Valley ENT & Allergy

256 N. 2nd E. Rexburg, ID 83440
(208) 656-9646 / (208) 656-9645 FAX

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Laryngeal (Voice Box) Cancer

Our team of specialists and staff believe that informed patients are better equipped to make decisions regarding their health and well being. For your personal use, we have created an extensive patient library covering an array of educational topics. Browse through these diagnoses and treatments to learn more about topics of interest to you. Or, for a more comprehensive search of our entire Web site, enter your term(s) in the search bar provided.

As always, you can contact our office to answer any questions or concerns.

Laryngeal cancer is not as well known by the general public as some other types of cancer, yet it is not a rare disease. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2005 almost 10,000 new cases of laryngeal cancer will be diagnosed, and close to 3,800 people will die from laryngeal cancer in the United States. Even for survivors, the consequences of laryngeal cancer can be severe with respect to voice, breathing, or swallowing. It is fundamentally a preventable disease though, since the primary risk factors for laryngeal cancer are associated with modifiable behaviors.

Risk Factors Associated With Laryngeal Cancer

Development of laryngeal cancer is a process that involves many factors, but approximately 90 percent of head and neck cancers occur after exposure to known carcinogens (cancer causing substances). Chief among these factors is tobacco. Over 90 percent of laryngeal cancers are a type of cancer called squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA), and over 95 percent of patients with laryngeal SCCA are smokers. Smoking contributes to cancer development by causing mutations or changes in genes, impairing clearance of carcinogens from the respiratory tract, and decreasing the body's immune response.

Tobacco use is measured in pack-years, where one pack per day for one year is considered one pack-year. Two pack-years is defined as either one pack per day for two years, or two packs per day for one year (Longer terms of pack years are determined using a similar ratio.) Depending upon the number of pack-years smoked, studies have reported that smokers are about 5 to 35 times more likely to develop laryngeal cancer than non-smokers. It does seem that the duration of tobacco exposure is probably more important overall to cancer causing effect, than the intensity of the exposure.

Alcohol is another important risk factor for laryngeal cancer, and acts as a promoter of the cancer causing process. The major clinical significance of alcohol is that it potentiates the effects of tobacco. Magnitude of this effect is between an additive and a multiplicative one. That is, people who smoke and drink alcohol have a combined risk that is greater than the sum of the individual risks. The American Cancer Society recommends that those who drink alcoholic beverages should limit the amount of alcohol they consume, with one drink per day considered a limited alcohol exposure.

Other risk factors for laryngeal cancer include certain viruses, such as human papilloma virus (HPV), and likely acid reflux. Vitamin A and beta-carotene may play a protective role.

Signs and Symptoms of Laryngeal Cancer

Signs and symptoms of laryngeal cancer include: progressive or persistent hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, persistent sore throat or pain with swallowing, difficulty breathing, pain in the ear, or a lump in the neck. Anyone with these signs or symptoms should be evaluated by an Otolaryngologist (Ear, Nose and Throat Doctor). This is particularly important for people with risk factors for laryngeal cancer.

Treatment of Laryngeal Cancer

The primary treatment options for laryngeal cancer include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of these treatments. Remember that this is a preventable disease in the vast majority of cases, because the main risk factors are associated with modifiable behaviors. Do not smoke and do not abuse alcohol!


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Patient Education

Patient Education
  • Ears
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    • Day Care and Ear, Nose, and Throat Problems
    • Ear Infection and Vaccines
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    • Ears and Altitude
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    • How the Ear Works
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    • Know the Power of Sound
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    • What You Should Know About Otosclerosis
    • When Your Child Has Tinnitus
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    • Your Genes and Hearing Loss
  • Mouth and Throat
    • About Your Voice
    • Can the Medications I Take Harm My Voice
    • Common Problems That Can Affect Your Voice
    • Day Care and Ear, Nose, and Throat
    • Diet and Exercise Tips
    • Gastroesphageal Reflux (GERD)
    • GERD and LPR
    • Hoarseness
    • How Allergies Affect your Child's Ears, Nose, and Throat
    • How the Voice Works
    • Keeping Your Voice Healthy
    • Laryngeal (Voice Box) Cancer
    • Laryngopharyngeal Reflux and Children
    • Nodules, Polyps, and Cysts
    • Pediatric GERD
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    • Secondhand Smoke
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    • Special Care for Occupational and Professional Voice Users
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    • Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)
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    • Could My Child Have Sleep Apnea?
    • Day Care and Ear, Nose, and Throat Problems
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    • Secondhand Smoke
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    • Sinusitis: Special Considerations for Aging Patients
    • Smell and Taste
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    • Snoring
    • Stuffy Noses
    • Tips for Sinus Sufferers
    • Tongue-tie (Ankyloglossia)
    • TMJ Pain
    • Tonsils and Adenoids
    • Your Nose: The Guardian Of Your Lungs
    • 20 Questions about Your Sinuses
  • Head and Neck
    • Bell's Palsy
    • Children and Facial Paralysis
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    • Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate
    • Dizziness and Motion Sickness
    • Facial Plastic Surgery
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    • Fall Prevention
    • Head and Neck Cancer
    • Pediatric Head and Neck Tumors
    • Sinus Pain
    • Sinusitis
    • Sinus Headaches
    • Thyroid Disorders and Surgery
    • TMJ
  • Cancer
    • Are We Through With Chew Yet?
    • Common Problems That Can Affect Your Voice
    • Head and Neck Cancer
    • Laryngeal (Voice Box) Cancer
    • Pediatric Head and Neck Tumors
    • Pediatric Thyroid Cancer
    • Quiting Smokeless Tobacco
    • Rhabdomyosarcoma
    • Secondhand Smoke
    • Skin Cancer
    • Smokeless Tobacco
  • Pediatric
    • Allergic Rhinitis (Hay Fever)
    • Child's Hearing Loss
    • Children and Facial Paralysis
    • Child Screening
    • Children and Facial Trauma
    • Cochlear-Meningitis Vaccination
    • Could My Child Have Sleep Apnea?
    • Day Care and Ear, Nose, and Throat
    • Facial Sports Injuries
    • How Allergies Affect your Child's Ears, Nose, and Throat
    • Laryngopharyngeal Reflux and Children
    • Noise-Induced Hearing Loss In Children
    • Pediatric Food Allergies
    • Pediatric GERD
    • Pediatric Head and Neck Tumors
    • Pediatric Obesity and Ear, Nose, and Throat Disorders
    • Pediatric Sinusitis
    • Pediatric Thyroid Cancer
    • Secondhand Smoke and Children
    • When Your Child Has Tinnitus
    • Why Do Children Have Earaches?
  • Información de Salud en Español

Our Location

256 N. 2nd E.
Rexburg, ID 83440
(208) 656-9646
(208) 656-9645 FAX


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Rexburg, Upper Valley ENT & Allergy, Rexburg ID, 83440 (208) 656-9646 / (208) 656-9645 FAX

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