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In this Article

• Throat cancer (larynx cancer) facts*
• What is the larynx?
• What is cancer?
• Who is at risk for larynx cancer?
• What are symptoms of larynx cancer?
• How is larynx cancer diagnosed?
• How is staging for throat cancer determined?
• What are treatment options for larynx cancer?
• Surgery
• Radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy
• Targeted therapy
• How does a person get a second opinion after a throat cancer diagnosis?
• What can people with throat cancer eat?
• What is involved in rehabilitation after surgery for larynx cancer?
• What follow-up care is needed after treatment for throat cancer?
• What support is available for patients with larynx cancer?
• What research is being done on throat cancer? What about clinical trials?
• Patient Comments: Larynx Cancer - Describe Your Experience
• Find a local Oncologist in your town
• Larynx Cancer Index

Your diet is an important part of your medical care for laryngeal cancer. You need the right amount of calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals to maintain your strength and to heal.

However, when you have laryngeal cancer, it may be difficult to eat. You may be uncomfortable or tired, and you may have trouble swallowing or not feel like eating. You also may have nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, constipation, or diarrhea from cancer treatment or pain medicine.

Tell your health care team if you're having any problems eating or drinking. Also tell your health care team if you have diarrhea, constipation, heartburn, gas, belly pain, nausea, or vomiting after eating. If you're losing weight, a dietitian can help you choose the foods and nutrition products that will meet your needs.

Trouble Swallowing

If there's a chance that swallowing will become too difficult for you, your dietitian and doctor may recommend another way for you to receive nutrition. For example, after surgery or during radiation therapy for laryngeal cancer, some people need a temporary feeding tube. A feeding tube is a flexible tube that is usually passed into the stomach through an incision in the abdomen. A liquid meal replacement product (such as Boost or Ensure) can be poured through the tube. These liquid products provide all of the calories, protein, and other nutrients you need until you are able to swallow again.

Laryngeal cancer and its treatment can make it hard to swallow, talk, and breathe. Your health care team will help you return to normal activities as soon as possible. The goals of rehabilitation depend on the extent of the disease and type of treatment.

After surgery or radiation therapy, your neck and shoulders may become stiff or weak. Your health care team can teach you exercises that help loosen your neck and shoulder muscles.

Learning to Speak Again

Laryngeal cancer and its treatment can cause problems with talking. A speech-language pathologist can assess your needs and plan therapy, which may include speech exercises.

If you need your entire larynx removed, you must learn to speak in a new way. Talking is part of nearly everything you do, so it's natural to be scared if your larynx must be removed. Losing the ability to talk is hard. It takes practice and patience to learn new ways to speak.

Before surgery or soon after, the speech-language pathologist can describe your choices for speech:

• Electric larynx: An electric larynx is a small device that can help you talk after your larynx has been removed. It's powered by a battery. The electric larynx makes a humming sound like the vocal cords. Some models are used in the mouth whereas other models are placed on the neck.
• Esophageal speech: There is no device to carry around for esophageal speech because the sound is made with air. A speech-language pathologist can teach you how to release air like a burp from the walls of your throat. It takes practice, but you can learn how to form words from the released air with the lips, tongue, and teeth.
• Tracheoesophageal puncture: The surgeon makes a small opening between your trachea and esophagus, and a small device is placed in the opening. With practice, you can learn to speak by covering the stoma and forcing air through the device. The air makes sound by vibrating the walls of your throat.

Speech therapy will generally begin as early as possible. If you have surgery, speech therapy may continue after you leave the hospital.