General treatment information
After your cancer is diagnosed and staged, your cancer care team will discuss your treatment options with you. Choosing a treatment plan is an important decision, so it is important to take time and think about all of the choices.
In creating your treatment plan, the most important factors to consider are the site of the cancer and the stage (extent) of the cancer. Your cancer care team will also take into account your general state of health and your personal preferences.
Treatment for laryngeal or hypopharyngeal cancer may include:
- Surgery
- Radiation therapy
- Chemotherapy (including targeted therapy drugs)
Depending on the stage of the cancer and your general medical condition, different treatment options may be used alone or in combination. Based on these options, you may have different types of doctors on your treatment team. These doctors may include:
- An otolaryngologist (also know as an ear, nose, and throat, or ENT doctor): a surgeon who treats certain diseases of the head and neck.
- A radiation oncologist: a doctor who treats cancer with radiation therapy.
- A medical oncologist: a doctor who treats cancer with medicines such as chemotherapy.
Many other specialists may be involved in your care as well, including nurse practitioners, nurses, nutrition specialists, social workers, and other health professionals.
It is important to discuss all of your treatment options, including their goals and possible side effects, with your doctors to help make the decision that best fits your needs. If time permits, it is often a good idea to seek a second opinion. A second opinion can provide you with more information and help you feel confident about your chosen treatment plan.
A major consideration in all treatments is to try to save your larynx and voice whenever possible. People who lose their voice can suffer from social isolation and depression. Most experts don’t recommend surgery that will totally remove the larynx unless there are no other options.
If the cancer is too advanced to be cured, the goal may be to remove or destroy as much of the cancer as reasonable to keep the tumor from growing, spreading, or returning for as long as possible.
Some of the treatments above can also be used as palliative treatment if all the cancer cannot be removed. Palliative treatment is meant to relieve symptoms, such as pain or trouble swallowing, but it is not expected to cure the cancer.
The next few sections describe the different types of treatment for laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers. This is followed by a discussion of the most common treatment options based on the stage of the cancer.
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