Medical Tests Used to Diagnose Laryngeal Cancer

Medical Tests Used to Diagnose Laryngeal Cancer

Most people who experience symptoms like hoarseness in their voice or chronic sore throat would seek an appointment with an ENT specialist to check if they are suffering from a deadly disease known as laryngeal cancer.
The larynx is the medical term for the voice box, which can be found in the neck right above the windpipe’s opening. This cancer is often found due to symptoms or signs that a person experiences and if your ENT doctor suspects you may have it, then he will order some tests to confirm the diagnosis.

The following are the most widely used tests to confirm the presence of laryngeal cancer:

1. Physical Exam and Medical History

Your ENT doctor will ask you a few questions regarding the symptoms you have experienced as well as possible risk factors, including a family history of cancer and other concerns. The physical exam will show indications of a potential cancer or it may point to other diseases. Please take note that not all people who see their ENT specialist about symptoms they have experienced in their neck have cancer. In fact, only very few do.

2. Laryngoscopy

This is an exam of the larynx as well as the hypopharynx that can only be done by an ENT doctor. For this exam he will insert a laryngoscope, a fiber optic tube, through your nose or mouth to take a look at the larynx and surrounding areas.

Patients suspected of laryngeal cancer will be carefully looked at and felt to find signs of cancer.

3. Panendoscopy

This procedure is a combination of esophagoscopy, laryngoscopy, and even bronchoscopy. The doctor will examine your larynx, hypopharynx, esophagus and wind pipe and it is done inside the operating room through a scope looking for tumors.

4. Biopsies

In this testing, your doctor will remove a tissue sample from your throat and examine it under a microscope. This is the clearest way to confirm laryngeal cancer. Some types of biopsies include endoscopic biopsy and fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy.

5. Imaging Tests

These tests make use of magnetic fields, x-rays, and radioactive substances to produce pictures/images of what’s inside your body. These tests aren’t exactly going to help pinpoint cancer but they are used to look for tumors, check if the cancer has spread, and determine if treatment is working.

Among the tests that will be used are computed tomography scans or CT scans, magnetic resonance imaging or (MRI) scan, Barium swallow and chest x-ray.

If you have been experiencing symptoms such as voice changes, constant coughing, pain when swallowing, ear pain and sore throat that has not disappeared for more than two weeks, get yourself checked by a qualified doctor. It could be nothing but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Source:

HK ENT Specialist Ltd.

Hong Kong based ENT clinic centre

For ENT Services, Audiology & Speech Therapy,

Sleep Disordered Breathing Management,

Hearing Aid Prescription & Medical Cosmetic Services

https://www.hkentspecialist.hk