Can throat cancer be detected early?

In the US, nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is so rare that it is not usually recommended by doctors for routine screening. There is no simple blood test that can find early signs of throat cancer. However, you can have your throat, mouth, and nose checked regularly to make sure they're healthy.
In China, where nasopharyngeal cancer is more common, screening for early signs of oropharyngeal cancer is being carried out. Subjects on the list for early screening are people infected with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), with a family history of NPC disease. These people have their nose and throat checked regularly.
Some people may be diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer early because symptoms appear and go to the doctor early, symptoms that seem unrelated to the oropharynx (eg, feeling full in one ear). Unfortunately, for most people, nasopharyngeal cancer usually has no symptoms until it has progressed to an advanced stage.

Most people with nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) are diagnosed by noticing a lump in the neck and then going to the doctor and finding out. There may be lumps on both sides of the neck posteriorly, they are usually not tender or painful. These tumors are caused by cancer spreading to the lymph nodes in the neck, causing swollen lymph nodes.
Other symptoms of nasopharyngeal cancer include:
Hearing loss, ringing in the ears, pain or a feeling of fullness in the ear (especially on one side) Recurrent ear infections Congested nose Nosebleeds Headaches Facial pain or numbness Difficulty opening mouth Blurred or double vision Difficulty breathing or talking Ear infections are common in children, but less common in adults. If you have an infection in one ear and have never had an ear infection before, see your doctor. Especially if you have an upper respiratory infection (like a “cold”) along with an ear infection.
If you have any of the above symptoms, it is important to see a doctor immediately to find the cause and get treatment promptly.

If nasopharyngeal cancer is suspected, your doctor will ask about your medical history, recent changes, and family history of cancer.
In addition, the doctor will directly examine the head, neck, nose, mouth, throat, facial muscles, lymph nodes in the neck, test hearing to look for signs of cancer.

Nasopharyngeal endoscopy is used to detect abnormalities in the nasopharynx, bleeding or other pathological signs. There are 2 main types of tests used to look inside the nasopharynx:
Indirect nasopharynx: Using a specially designed small mirror and bright light to examine the nasopharynx and surrounding areas. Direct nasopharyngoscopy: The endoscope is inserted directly into the damaged nose area. This is the method commonly used to thoroughly examine the nasopharynx. If a tumor starts under the lining of the nasopharynx, it may not be seen on ultrasound. Therefore, imaging tests such as a CT scan or an MRI may be needed to aid in the diagnosis.

Biopsy is the examination of tissue cells suspected of cancer under a microscope. Different types of biopsies may be done, depending on the location of the abnormal area.

Endoscopy biopsy is a combination of endoscopy and biopsy. Under endoscopic guidance, tissue samples suspected of cancer are more easily removed. It is then sent to a lab to be examined under a microscope. If the biopsy sample contains cancer cells, the pathologist will return a report describing the type of cancer.
Throat cancer is not always visible through endoscopy. Therefore, if a person has symptoms suggestive of oropharyngeal cancer but no tumor is detected on endoscopy, the doctor may biopsy normal tissue from the suspected cancer site. This can help detect cancer earlier.

An FNA biopsy may be used if you have a suspicious lump in or near your neck. To do this, your doctor will insert a thin, hollow needle into the tumor. The needle is attached to a syringe used to suck up a few drops of liquid containing cells and small pieces of tissue.
Then, the sample will be taken for a biopsy to determine if there are cancer cells.
An FNA biopsy can help determine if swollen lymph nodes in the neck are caused by infection, spread of cancer, or cancer that started in the lymph nodes. If cancer cells have spread, an FNA biopsy may not be able to locate the source of the cancer.

If nasopharyngeal cancer has been diagnosed, a chest X-ray will be ordered to determine whether the cancer has spread to the lungs. This is very unlikely, unless the cancer is already at an advanced stage.

CT scans of the head and neck provide information about the size, shape, and location of the tumor and the lymph nodes that contain cancer. A CT or MRI scan is important in looking for cancer that may have grown into the bone at the base of the skull. This is a common place for oropharyngeal cancer to develop. It can also be used to find tumors in other parts of the body.

An MRI scan produces detailed images of soft tissues inside the body, but it uses a strong magnetic field instead of X-rays. A contrast agent called gadolinium is usually injected into a vein before the scan to see better. details.
MRI can be used to find out if cancer has grown in the area near the nasopharynx. MRI has a slight advantage over CT in showing soft tissues in the nose and throat, but less advantage when it comes to looking at the bones at the base of the skull, a site where nasopharyngeal cancer often metastasizes.

Radioactive sugar is used in PET scan. Places with a high concentration of radioactive sugars are more likely to contain cancer cells. This is because cancer cells absorb more radioactive sugar than normal cells. After about 1 hour after the radioactive line is inserted, you are placed on the machine for about 30 minutes to take pictures.
PET images are not as detailed as CT or MRI, but can provide useful information about the entire body. Some other machines can do both PET and CT scans (PET/CT scans) at the same time. This allows the doctor to compare radioactivity in areas on PET and image detail on CT.
PET is often used to determine if cancer has spread to the lymph nodes and whether an abnormal area on a chest x-ray could be cancerous. A PET scan can also be helpful if your doctor thinks the cancer has spread but doesn't know exactly how far it has spread.

Routine blood and biochemical tests help determine the patient's overall health status. They also help diagnose nutritional problems, anemia, liver disease, and kidney disease, suggesting an increased risk of cancer metastasis to the liver or bones.

EBV blood testing may be done before and after treatment to determine the patient's response to treatment.
Nasopharyngeal cancer is a cancer that is difficult to detect early, most patients find out that the disease is at a late stage. Therefore, the physical examination, overall, cancer screening is very important.
The early detection of nasopharyngeal cancer is very important, not only for early diagnosis and treatment, but also potentially prolonging the patient's life. Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital is one of the leading prestigious facilities in screening for oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal and laryngeal cancers with a full screening package of necessary services and modern equipment. grand.
Currently, the screening package is being applied to all subjects over 30 years old as well as customers who need periodic checkups to screen for cancer and people with suspicious symptoms. With a team of experienced and highly qualified doctors, specialized facilities and comprehensive cooperation with domestic and foreign hospitals, screening will help patients detect and treat patients early. positive effect.
Vinmec International General Hospital has become a prestigious address in screening for oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, and laryngeal cancers with:
Experienced team of experts. Comprehensive professional cooperation with domestic and international hospitals: Singapore, Japan, USA, .. Comprehensive treatment and care, multi-specialty coordination towards individualizing each patient. Having a full range of specialized facilities for diagnosis and staging before treatment: Endoscopy, CT scan, PET-CT scan, MRI, histopathological diagnosis, gene-cell testing, .. There are a full range of mainstream cancer treatment methods: surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, stem cell transplant...

References: cancer.org