According to the National Cancer Institute, 26,000 new cases of throat cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year.
For reasons that aren’t entirely understood, there is a 3 to 1 diagnosis ratio of males to females. Throat cancer refers to cancerous tumors that develop in your throat (tube through which you swallow), tonsils, base of the tongue and/or the voice box (larynx).
Symptoms of throat cancer include sore throat, a lump in the neck, difficulty swallowing, changes in the voice, such as hoarseness, and ear pain.
Obviously these symptoms are similar to those of a common cold; therefore, if the symptoms persist for more than two weeks in spite of treatment, such as antibiotics, you need to seek further medical evaluation.
While tobacco use and alcohol abuse remain risk factors for the disease, a rise in cases linked to the human papillomavirus (HPV) are being diagnosed throughout the U.S. Like all forms of cancer, treatment for throat cancer must be individualized to each case.
This is why Cone Health Cancer Center takes a multidisciplinary approach to treating the disease, with an exceptional team of medical and radiation oncologists, surgeons, ENT specialists, dietitians, speech therapists and other related medical professionals that collaborate together to develop the best possible treatment plan for each patient that is seen at the Center.
Dr. Sarah Squire is a radiation oncologist at the Cone Health Cancer Center. Dr. Squire is a 2006 graduate of Brown University’s Alpert Medical School.
She completed an internship at East Tennessee State University in 2007 and her residency in radiation oncology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in 2011.