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Join an oncology support group for patients and their relatives
Here you will find:
- updates on travelling abroad for treatment, opening borders,
- up-to-date and useful information about fighting cancer around the world,
- live broadcasts with leading foreign doctors,
- stories and testimonials from those who have undergone cancer treatment abroad,
- answers to the questions you have,
- support from people who will understand you.
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Benefits of treatment abroad
The main procedure in CIS clinics is partial or complete removal of the larynx with vocal cords. Therefore, in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, only 4 out of 10 patients retain their voice.
To treat throat cancer in Germany, Israel and Spain, doctors perform low-traumatic laser surgeries that do not affect the quality of the voice. To avoid surgery for large tumours, foreign doctors resort to chemotherapy, targeted therapy and radiation. If surgery is mandatory, doctors remove the organ and then reconstruct it. That is why 7 out of 10 patients abroad have their voices saved.
How do our patients choose a clinic for throat cancer treatment?
When choosing a clinic for treatment of laryngeal cancer, focus on:
- doctor's qualifications and experience;
- the clinic's certificates and accreditations;
- reviews of throat cancer treatment at the medical centre.
Throat cancer: what are the diagnostic methods?
Diagnosis of throat cancer may include such procedures:
Visual inspection of the larynx. Doctors perform the procedure using a flexible tube with a torch or a special mirror.
The taking of tumour tissue for laboratory examination.
- Histology and immunohistochemistry of the neoplasm
Analyses of the tumour tissue. Determines its malignancy, identifies genetic mutations and predicts the effectiveness of drug treatment.
Helps to determine the localisation, size of the tumour and its sprouting into neighbouring tissues.
Detects the spread of the tumour to the organs of the neck.
Determines the presence of metastases in the lungs.
- Positron emission computed tomography (PET-CT).
Detects distant metastases throughout the body.
Throat cancer: treatment methods
Surgery
This is the removal of the tumour through the mouth with the help of a laser. Doctors prescribe such intervention in the early stages.
Advantages: the procedure preserves the voice and leaves no visible traces of intervention.
Disadvantages: large tumours cannot be removed with laser microsurgery.
This is the excision of a part of the larynx or the entire organ with the vocal cords. The amount of intervention depends on the size of the neoplasm.
Advantages: during the operation, doctors remove large tumours.
Disadvantages: after laryngectomy, the patient partially or completely loses his voice.
Radiation therapy
Types of radiation therapy for laryngeal cancer:
- curative - destroys small neoplasms without surgery;
- adjuvant - destroys cancer cells that remain after surgery and prevents recurrence;
- palliative - reduces symptoms in the final stages.
Chemotherapy
Types of chemo for throat cancer:
- neoadjuvant - shrinks the tumour before surgery and radiation;
- adjuvant - destroys abnormal cells that remain after surgery;
- palliative - improves quality of life at advanced stages.
Advanced therapies for laryngeal cancer
In case of ineffectiveness of previous treatment or recurrence, doctors prescribe the administration of targeted drugs. They have a targeted effect on pathological cells, stopping their growth and division.
Targeted therapy is indicated for patients with a genetic mutation of the neoplasm. Doctors detect it with the help of a laboratory study of the tumour.
Life after laryngeal cancer
Voice restoration
For partial vocal cord dysfunction, speech therapists work with patients. After complete loss of voice, doctors perform a tracheo-oesophageal puncture. They create openings in the trachea and oesophagus and connect them with a valve. After that, air can flow from the lungs to the mouth, making sounds.
When there are contraindications to tracheo-oesophageal puncture, patients use devices that form a voice. They read lip movements and translate them into sounds.
Restoration of swallowing
To restore swallowing function after surgery and therapy, patients attend counselling sessions with a dietitian and a rehabilitation therapist. The dietitian adjusts the diet, while the rehabilitologist provides exercises that develop the right muscle group in the neck.
Restoring the sense of smell
The sense of smell is restored by specialists through breathing exercises.
Patient questions
- Is it possible to preserve my voice after treatment for cancer of the vocal cords and larynx?
It depends on the size and location of the tumour. If they allow not to remove the organ, the voice will be preserved completely or partially. If the patient is shown a complete removal of the throat and ligaments, specialists restore the voice with special training, surgery and apparatuses that form sounds.
- How to cure stage 4 laryngeal cancer?
At stage 4, doctors use surgery, chemo, radiation and targeted drugs. They select the most effective treatment method based on the results of a comprehensive diagnosis of laryngeal cancer.
Organising treatment abroad
To organise treatment for throat cancer abroad, leave a request on the Bookimed website. You will be contacted by a dedicated doctor-coordinator who will help you choose the best medical centre. Send him your medical statements, he will forward them to the hospital of your choice and request a treatment programme.
We will help organise your travel and stay in touch with you throughout your treatment - from the moment you contact us and even when you return home.
Bookimed is an independent medical service that does not represent the interests of any hospital. Patients do not pay for our services - medical centres do.