Worrying Lump In The Throat: Could It Be Cancer?

Some people complain about feeling a lump in the throat. When you go to your doctor and ask them about this sensation, they are most likely to ask a few questions to get a precise description of your symptoms. After all, the throat is an area in the head and neck that, although seemingly small, contains many structures that could be causing your symptoms. Furthermore, your doctor will be interested to know how long the lump has been there, especially if you are anxious to find out if the lump in your throat could be cancer.

Of course, not everyone who feels a lump in their throat, has cancer. There are, in fact, many reasons why you may have a lump in your throat and most of these are not serious. However, if you're feeling a lump in your throat, it's important to be able to tell if it's serious or not. We don't want to scare you — we just want to inform you of what might be going on in your throat.

What exactly might cause you to feel like there's a lump in your throat, and could it be cancer? Let's dive in.

What Structures Make Up The Throat?

The throat, or pharynx, is a muscular passage at the back of the mouth that begins behind the nose and ends in the neck. It is a complex structure where food and drinks pass down to the food pipe (esophagus) and where air also passes in and out through the windpipe (trachea).

Your pharynx consists of three parts:

• The nasopharynx, which joins the back of your nose to the back of your mouth
• The oropharynx at the back of the mouth, which contains the base of your tongue, soft palate, and back wall of your throat, and
• The hypopharynx, which connects the pharynx to the esophagus and the trachea via the voice box or larynx.

Aside from feeling a lump in the throat, it is not uncommon for some people to have other accompanying symptoms, including these:

• A palpable swelling or sore
• Cough
• Ear pain
• A sore throat
• Cold-like symptoms
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Muscle aches
• Difficulty swallowing
• A change in voice, or hoarseness
• Trouble breathing
• Weight loss

Many patients also refer to other structures such as the tonsils, the neck, and the thyroid gland in front of the neck when they complain about having a lump in the throat. This is why the doctor has to make a thorough examination of the structures in the head and neck whenever a patient comes with this vague symptom.

What Causes a Lump In The Throat?

There are many possible reasons for you to feel a lump in the throat. Most of these are common but not serious. Possible causes of lump in the throat include:

• Infection, such as viral pharyngitis, strep throat, tonsillitis, or peritonsillar abscess
• Inflammation, such as esophagitis, laryngitis, or swollen glands
• A benign (not cancerous) new growth or lump such as goiter, thyroid nodules, lipoma, or sebaceous cyst under the skin of the neck
• Panic attack, which may cause a sensation of having a lump in the throat
• Other causes including stroke, swallowing a foreign object, weakness of the muscles in the throat, etc.
• Cancer or malignant new growth in one of the structures in the throat

See Also: Is Cancer Really Caused By Bad Luck?

Cancer In The Throat

Experts seldom use the term “cancer of the throat” because there are several different kinds of cancer that may involve the different parts of your throat and mouth. Depending on the structures in throat involved, a lump in the throat may be classified as:

• Nasopharyngeal cancer, which involves the part of your throat behind your nose.
• Oropharyngeal cancer, which involves the tonsils and surrounding tissues, the base of the tongue, the soft palate, and the walls of the throat.
• Hypopharyngeal or laryngopharyngeal cancer, which involves the lower part of your throat above the food pipe and windpipe.
• Glottic cancer, which involves the vocal cords.
• Supraglottic cancer, which involves the epiglottis and upper portion of the larynx.
• Subglottic cancer, which involves the lower portion of the voice box, below the vocal cords.

Warning Signs Of Throat Cancer

To determine if you have cancer in the throat, your doctor will conduct a detailed interview to obtain your medical history, a thorough physical examination, and a battery of relevant laboratory tests.

Signs And Symptoms Of Throat Cancer

There are some common signs and symptoms that may alert the doctor if you may have cancer in the throat:

• A painless lump in the throat that does not heal.
• A feeling that something is stuck in the throat.
• Throat pain/sore throat that does not go away.
• Difficulty swallowing.
• Ear pain (pain at the base of the tongue which spreads to the ear).
• Hoarseness/change in voice.
• Bleeding in the mouth or throat/ blood in the sputum.
• Chronic cough.
• Unexplained weight loss.

If you think you have these symptoms, consult your doctor right away.

Physical And Laboratory Examinations

The doctor will conduct a thorough examination of your head and neck to look for any lesions or abnormalities. To facilitate examination at the back of your throat, they may do a mirror exam or an indirect laryngoscopy using a thin, flexible instrument that has a camera at the tip. A similar but more detailed examination called endoscopy may also be performed in the operating room under general anesthesia to determine the extent of your tumor.

Imaging tests, such as X-rays, computerized tomography or CT scan, magnetic resonance imaging or MRI, or positron emission tomography (PET) scan may be done to determine if the cancer has extended beyond your throat and affected other parts of the body.

What Causes Throat Cancer?

Factors that may increase your risk of throat cancer include:

• Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. This sexually transmissible viral infection is the most common risk factor associated with mouth and throat cancers.
• Tobacco smoking.
• Chewing tobacco.
• Chewing betel nut.
• Excessive use of alcohol.
• Lack of fruits and vegetables in the diet.
• Excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

See Also: Sore Throat Remedies You Should Have In Your Kitchen

Prevention Of Throat Cancer

There is no proven way to prevent throat cancer, but you can reduce your risk by:

• Protecting yourself from HPV infection. This includes limiting the number of your sexual partners, using a condom during sex, and getting the HPV vaccine.
• Not smoking or chewing tobacco.
• Drink alcohol in moderation or not all.
• Choosing a healthy diet that includes fruits and vegetables.
• Protecting yourself from too much exposure to the sun.