Laryngeal cancer medical therapy
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Laryngeal cancer Microchapters |
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Diagnosis |
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Treatment |
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Laryngeal cancer medical therapy On the Web |
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American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Laryngeal cancer medical therapy |
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Risk calculators and risk factors for Laryngeal cancer medical therapy |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Medical Treatment
Specific treatment depends on the location, type, and stage of the tumor. Treatment may involve surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy, alone or in combination. This is a specialized area which requires the coordinated expertise of dedicated ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeons (otolaryngologists) and oncologists. When the tumor is larger or has spread to lymph nodes in the neck, a combination of radiation and chemotherapy is often used to preserve the voice box.
Radiation therapy
There are two types of radiation therapy
- External radiation therapy*Internal radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters that are placed directly into or near the cancer
- Radiation therapy may be helpful in patients who have stopped smoking before beginning treatment
- External radiation therapy to the thyroid or the pituitary gland may alter thyroid gland functioning
- Hyperfractionated radiation therapy and new types of radiation therapy are being studied in the treatment of laryngeal cancer