What are the other types of throat cancer, other than oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer?
So far in this segment, we have discussed two major types of throat cancer – those arising in the hypopharynx or oropharynx area. These cancers are similar in terms of staging, the rate of tumour growth and their T-N-M characteristics. However, ‘throat cancers’ are a larger subset of head and neck cancers, which extend to some other cancer types, such as cancers of the voice box, vocal cords, nasopharynx, etc.
Other types of head and neck throat cancers
Laryngeal cancer
Laryngeal cancer is a type of cancer that originates in the larynx or the voice box. The larynx is a nearly 5 cms long tube which is fully developed in adults. It is situated above the windpipe (trachea) in the neck, right in front of the food pipe.
Nasopharyngeal cancer
Nasopharyngeal cancer is a type of cancer that begins in the nasopharynx (pharynx is the scientific name for the human throat). The pharynx is divided into three parts. The nasopharynx is one of these parts and connects the back of the nose to the back of the mouth.