Vocal Cord Cancer Radiation Therapy Side Effects

After 15 years of laryngology practice i decided to create a single codified.

Vocal cord cancer radiation therapy side effects.

Laser surgery or radiation. There are quite a few factors to consider when weighing these two options which can be confusing for the patient and challenging for the clinician to explain. In general the chance of a cure with early vocal cord cancer is roughly equivalent whether surgery or radiation is used. Bastian md patients who are diagnosed with early vocal cord cancer have two main treatment options to consider.

Many people who receive radiation therapy in the neck and throat develop painful sores in the mouth and throat that can make eating and drinking difficult. Caused by neck tenderness and swelling and or. Depending on the size and location of the tumor your muscles and structures that support normal swallowing may weaken. Early cancer of the glottis vocal cords or supraglottis false vocal cords can be effectively treated with either surgery alone or radiation therapy.

Sexual problems men fertility problems men sexual problems women fertility problems women skin changes. The side effects of treatment can also affect these structures. Endoscopy is the preferred treatment versus radiation therapy for carcinoma in situ that affects the vocal cords because the surgery poses fewer risks. It s now compromising my husband s ability to breathe.

Most surgical procedures can spare major portions of the voice box and with modern techniques reconstruction of the voice box can be accomplished with preservation of reasonable voice quality and swallowing. Other side effects of radiation therapy may include. Nearly all of the side effects of radiation therapy for head and neck cancer may contribute to. Radiation therapy can cause.

The cancer is gone but 3 years post treatment there is nerve damage from the radiation resulting in vocal cord paralysis. They may not work as well as they did before you started radiation therapy. While radiation treatment technology has dramatically improved over the years doses of radiation needed for definitive treatment of a vocal cord cancer can still sometimes lead to long term voice and swallowing problems. Effects of cancer and treatment on swallowing.

At first it was just one side but now the other side is becoming affected. Urinary and bladder changes.