Symptoms of laryngeal cancer

The signs or symptoms of laryngeal cancer may vary depending on where the tumour starts in the larynx. Other health conditions can cause the same symptoms as laryngeal cancer.

The most common symptoms of laryngeal cancer are voice changes that include hoarseness and a weak voice that lasts longer than a few weeks.

Other signs and symptoms of laryngeal cancer include:

  • a constant sore throat
  • feeling that something is stuck in the throat
  • difficult or painful swallowing
  • a cough
  • ear pain
  • trouble breathing
  • noisy breathing
  • a lump that can be felt in the neck
  • foul smelling breath
  • weight loss

Expert review and references

  • American Cancer Society. Laryngeal and Hypopharyngeal Cancers. 2014. https://www.cancer.org/.
  • Mendenhall WM, Werning JW. Cancer of the larynx: General principles and management. Harrison LB, Sessions RB, Kies MS (eds.). Head and Neck Cancer: A Multidisciplinary Approach. 4th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2014: 18a: 441-458.
  • Mendenhall WM, Werning JW, Pfister DG. Cancer of the head and neck. DeVita VT Jr, Lawrence TS, & Rosenberg SA. Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology. 10th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2015: 38: 422-473.

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