What is cancer?
Cancer is the disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of the body. Proteins called cyclins regulate the timing of the cell cycle, but the cells lose the ability to properly go through the cell cycle and fail to produce certain cyclins/regulators, produce too many cyclins, or produce cyclins at the wrong time. This can lead to a malignant growth or tumor resulting from such a division of cells. Tumors deprive the normal cells of nutrients, and a cancerous or malignant tumor has the ability to shed cells. Opposed to that, there are also benign tumors which are not able to shed cells and are not cancerous.
Whats the function of the throat?
Since there are two types of throat cancer, laryngeal and pharyngeal, there are many different parts of the throat affected by this cancer which include the pharynx (the hollow tube inside the neck that starts behind the nose and ends at the top of the windpipe and esophagus), nasopharynx (the upper part of the throat behind the nose), oropharynx (the middle part of the pharynx), and the hypopharynx (the bottom part of the pharynx). In its normal functioning state the pharynx has uses in both the respiratory system and the digestive system. The pharynx is a passageway for air and food. The pharynx opens into two pathways, one that leads to the esophagus and the other to the trachea. In the digestive system the pharynx is essential because it helps in the process of swallowing food. Food is moved to the back of the mouth and from there the pharynx allows it to be swallowed. In the respiratory system the air is breathed into the pharynx and then down the trachea. One other function of the pharynx is help in the process of speaking. There is also the possibility of cancer in the larynx, or voice box, which aids in the process of speaking (National Cancer Institute).
How does cancer interrupt this function? How and where does throat cancer spread?
People that might possibly have throat cancer will experience symptoms anywhere from trouble speaking to pain when swallowing. Due to the fact that the pharynx is essential for the respiratory system, it may become very hard to breathe. Also, since the pharynx is essential for the digestive system eating may become a challenge for the patient.
Just as in all other cancers, the cells can spread through a process called metastasis. This process occurs when cancer cells get into the bloodstream or lymph vessels of our body. Throat cancer, like all others, doesn’t always spread, but when it does it most commonly spreads to the lymphatic system.
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