Treatment For Laryngeal Cancer

Get a dental checkup before starting treatment
Some treatments for laryngeal cancer may make your mouth sensitive and put you at a higher risk of infection. It’s important to have a dental exam and get any necessary dental work done before you start treatment.
Radiation therapy
External beam radiation therapy is the most common treatment for laryngeal cancer. A machine is used to carefully aim a beam of radiation at the tumour. The radiation damages the cells in the path of the beam – normal cells as well as cancer cells.
Small tumours may be cured by treating them with radiation only. For larger tumours, external radiation is often used together with chemotherapy.
You may have a mask made especially for you before radiation therapy. This custom-made mask is worn for the treatment planning and for all radiation treatments. The mask helps make sure you’re in the exact same position for every treatment and helps keep your head and neck from moving during treatment.
Radiation therapy works better if you avoid tobacco
To get the most out of radiation treatment for laryngeal cancer, experts recommend that you:
● Quit smoking, if you’re a smoker.
● Avoid second-hand smoke.
Side effects of radiation will be different depending on what part of the head or neck receives the radiation. You may feel more tired than usual or notice changes to the skin (it may be red or tender) where the treatment was given.
Radiation for laryngeal cancer may irritate your mouth and throat, making them dry and sore. This can make it difficult to swallow. If your throat becomes too sore for you to eat or you lose too much weight, you may need a feeding tube until you are able to eat and drink on your own. The feeding tube is placed in your nose or your stomach to give you liquids and nutrients. It’s usually temporary.
You may also notice changes to your sense of taste and smell. These side effects are a result of damage to normal cells. The side effects will usually go away when treatment is over and the normal cells repair themselves. A few side effects, such as a dry mouth, can last a long time.
Side effects of radiation therapy
Chemotherapy
For laryngeal cancer, chemotherapy is most commonly used with radiation therapy for large tumours and tumours that have spread to the lymph nodes.
Chemotherapy may be given as pills or by injection. Chemotherapy drugs interfere with the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread, but they also damage healthy cells. Although healthy cells can recover over time, you may experience side effects from your treatment like nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue, hair loss and an increased risk of infection.
Side effects of chemotherapy
Surgery
A decision to have surgery depends on the size of the tumour and where it is. During the operation, all or part of the tumour and some healthy tissue around the tumour are removed. Surgery is done under general anesthetic (you will be unconscious) and you will stay in the hospital for several days after the surgery. After surgery, you may have some pain or weakness. These side effects are temporary, and can be controlled.
An operation to remove all or part of the larynx is called a laryngectomy. The surgeon may also remove nearby lymph nodes in the neck. Sometimes, the thyroid gland is also removed.
For a partial laryngectomy, the surgeon removes the part of the larynx affected by the tumour. Usually one or both of the vocal cords are left in so that you can still speak. Your voice may be different than it was before.
For a total laryngectomy, the surgeon removes the entire larynx. A tracheostomy is done at the same time to create an opening in the lower part of the neck for you to breathe through. Air enters and leaves the windpipe and the lungs through the hole (called a stoma). This opening is permanent. After a total laryngectomy, you will have to learn to speak in a different way.
For the first few days after surgery you will be given liquids through an intravenous (IV) drip into a vein. You may also need a feeding tube in your nose or your abdomen to give you liquids and nutrients until you are able to eat and drink on your own.
It’s important to discuss your operation with your surgical team before the surgery so that you know what to expect and how it will affect you. If both your vocal cords are to be removed, speech pathologist will talk to you before the operation about the different ways you can learn to speak again.
Laser surgery
Laser surgery uses an intense, narrow beam of light to remove cancerous tissue with little or no damage to surrounding healthy tissue. It is usually done under general anesthetic. Laser surgery may be used for very small laryngeal tumours. Laser surgery may not be available at all cancer centres or hospitals.
Relieving pain
Learn more about ways to manage and control your pain and discomfort, side effects and stress when you are having cancer treatments.
Coping with cancer
Whether you are newly diagnosed, in active treatment, or are caring for someone with cancer, you will probably need to deal with many day-to-day issues, make tough decisions, and cope with a range of emotions.