Throat Cancer Stages (2023)

FAQs

Can Stage 4 throat cancer survive? ›

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) , the 5-year relative survival rate for the most advanced stage of throat cancer is 39.1 percent.

Stage 3. Almost 60 out of 100 adults (almost 60%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they are diagnosed. Stage 3 laryngeal cancer has grown throughout the larynx but has not spread to other parts of the body. OR at least one vocal cord is fixed and can't move.

Your doctor will assign a stage to the cancer after your biopsy results or imaging test results are in. The stage may be adjusted if you have additional tests or after surgery. There are five stages of throat cancer, starting at zero and going up to four. (They are represented by the Roman numerals I, II, III, and IV.)

Stage 0. These cancers are almost always glottic (vocal cord) cancers that are found early because of voice changes. They are nearly always curable with either endoscopic surgery or radiation therapy.

More than half of patients (52%) are diagnosed and treated before the cancer has spread outside the larynx. In those cases, the 5-year relative survival rate is 78%. If the cancer has spread to surrounding tissues or organs and/or the regional lymph nodes, the 5-year relative survival rate is 46%.

Laryngeal cancer survival rate

The overall five-year relative survival rate for laryngeal cancer is 61.6 percent, according to the SEER program.

“The staging is important. In later stages, in which the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes — stage 3 — the overall five-year survival is around 50%. And if it spread to distant areas of the body like lungs, liver or bone — stage 4 — this survival rate drops to roughly 30%.”

Throat cancers may be cured when detected early. If the cancer has not spread (metastasized) to surrounding tissues or lymph nodes in the neck, about one half of patients can be cured. If the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes and parts of the body outside the head and neck, the cancer is not curable.

It's possible for throat cancer to develop quickly. If you've had throat cancer symptoms for more than two weeks, see your doctor. Early diagnosis is the best way to successfully treat cancer.

Is stage 4 cancer always terminal? Stage 4 cancer is not always terminal. It is usually advanced and requires more aggressive treatment. Terminal cancer refers to cancer that is not curable and eventually results in death.

How do you know what stage of throat cancer you have? ›

Overall, for all cases and types of laryngeal cancer, about 55% of patients survive for 10 years or more after diagnosis.

Breathing may slow, sometimes with very long pauses between breaths. Noisy breathing, with congestion and gurgling or rattling sounds. These sounds happen because the person is unable to clear fluids from the throat. The sounds may concern you or other people visiting, but the person who is dying is not aware of them.

Throat cancer is uncommon in the United States. In fact, according to the National Cancer Institute, pharyngeal cancers — along with oral cancer — account for around 3% of all cancer diagnoses. Laryngeal cancer accounts for around 0.7% of all cancer diagnoses.

Stage 3 cancer is considered advanced. In this stage, the tumor may have grown to a specific size, the cancer may consist of multiple tumors, and/or the cancer may have spread to adjacent lymph nodes, organs or tissue.

Throat cancer is a rare form of cancer that develops in the throat, larynx or tonsils. Some of its most common symptoms include a persistent sore throat and/or cough, difficulty swallowing, hoarseness, ear pain and a neck mass. It can develop quickly, which is why early diagnosis is key to successful treatment.

If you have early-stage laryngeal cancer, it may be possible to remove the cancer using surgery (endoscopic resection) or radiotherapy alone. This may also be the case with slightly larger cancers, although a combination of surgery and radiotherapy is sometimes required.

People who use both tobacco and alcohol have the highest risk of all. Combining these 2 habits doesn't just add both risks together, it actually multiplies them. People who smoke and drink are many times more likely to get head and neck cancer than people who don't have these habits.

Professor Christopher Nutting explains that throat cancers will develop steadily in an individual patient once the tumour has developed. Cancers will double in size about every two to three months, which is quite quick compared to other tumour types.

Trouble swallowing: Throat cancer can cause pain or a burning sensation when chewing and swallowing food. You might feel like food is sticking in your throat. A lump in your throat: You may have a lump in your throat caused by an enlarged lymph node.

Is Stage 4 cancer Curable? ›

Stage 4 cancer isn't usually curable, but treatment may improve overall survival and quality of life. Treatment options and survival rates for stage 4 cancer greatly depend on the type of cancer, how well it responds to treatment, a person's overall health, and several other factors.

The term stage 5 isn't used with most types of cancer. Most advanced cancers are grouped into stage 4. An exception is Wilms tumor, or nephroblastoma, a childhood cancer that originates in the kidneys. Stage 5 Wilms tumors are those that affect both kidneys.

But stage 3 cancer isn't a death sentence. Survival rates are improving, and researchers are continually discovering and testing new targeted drugs and immunotherapies.

Chemo may be used at different times during treatment for laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers: As the primary (main) treatment: For more advanced cancers of the larynx, chemo is given along with radiation. This treatment, called chemoradiation, is commonly used for laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers.

For small throat cancers or throat cancers that haven't spread to the lymph nodes, radiation therapy may be the only treatment necessary. For more-advanced throat cancers, radiation therapy may be combined with chemotherapy or surgery.

Eighty to 90 percent of people with early disease (stage I and II) will go into remission with a low likelihood of recurrence if they make certain lifestyle changes, like stopping tobacco and alcohol use. That's because tobacco and alcohol are estimated to cause 75 percent of all head and neck cancers.

While your throat heals, you'll need to be fed through a tube that's passed through your nose and into your stomach. If you have had all of your larynx removed (total laryngectomy), you will not be able to speak normally, because you'll no longer have vocal cords.

1 Thickened white patches on the lining of the throat are usually the earliest signs of cancer or a precancerous condition in the throat. The most common type of throat cancer is called squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Stage 4 cancer usually can't be cured. In addition, because it's usually spread throughout the body by the time it's diagnosed, it is unlikely the cancer can be completely removed. The goal of treatment is to prolong survival and improve your quality of life.

Although there are no curable cancers, melanoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, and breast, prostate, testicular, cervical, and thyroid cancer have some of the highest 5-year relative survival rates. Cancer is a disease that causes cells to grow and multiply uncontrollably in certain parts of the body.

What's the worst stage of cancer? ›

Stage IV. This stage means that the cancer has spread to other organs or parts of the body. It may be also called advanced or metastatic cancer.

Tobacco use (in any form) and excessive alcohol consumption are the two greatest risk factors for developing throat cancer. Infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) is increasingly linked to throat cancer as well, especially in younger people.

Throat cancer generally refers to cancers that start in the pharynx or larynx (voice box), but can also refer to cancers that start in the oesophagus (food pipe) or thyroid.

The two most common treatment-related side effects for throat cancer, for example, are changes in voice and difficulty swallowing. Voice changes are typically caused by surgery to remove the vocal cords. Radiation therapy may also cause hoarseness.

"I love you and I'll miss you."

It's important to leave nothing unsaid. Let your loved one know how much you appreciate, love, and care for them. It is comforting and validating for a dying person to know the impact he or she had on this life. Express your love and allow yourself to be vulnerable with your loved one.

Stage 4 cancer is a serious disease that requires immediate expert care. Patients may live for years following treatment for stage 4 cancer.

People in the advanced stages of illness often lose their appetite, especially in the last few weeks of life. This might be due to other symptoms such as pain, sickness or breathlessness. You might also feel too tired or fed up to eat. Or it could be that you simply no longer need to eat so often.

Throat cancer originates in the throat and neck area. As the malignancy progresses, tumors can grow larger and cancerous cells can eventually spread to areas outside of the throat and neck. Throat cancer that has reached this advanced stage is known as metastatic cancer of the throat, or stage 4 throat cancer.

Throat cancers are usually quite small, too, and they can be very difficult to see, even by trained experts. So, only about 20% to 30% of patients will notice something visible.”

Life expectancy and survival rates for stage 3 breast cancer are improving all the time. The current 5-year survival rates for stage 3 breast cancer are 86% for females and 83% for males. However, many factors can influence a person's life expectancy after a breast cancer diagnosis.

Is Stage 4 cancer worse than Stage 3? ›

stage 3 – the cancer is larger and may have spread to the surrounding tissues and/or the lymph nodes (or "glands", part of the immune system) stage 4 – the cancer has spread from where it started to at least 1 other body organ, also known as "secondary" or "metastatic" cancer.

Sometimes surgery is not possible because the cancer is near to very delicate tissues, or a vital body part. For example, the cancer might be very close to major blood vessels. This means the surgeon cannot remove all of the cancer. In this situation, you might have other treatments instead.

Outlook (Prognosis)

If the cancer has not spread (metastasized) to surrounding tissues or lymph nodes in the neck, about one half of patients can be cured. If the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes and parts of the body outside the head and neck, the cancer is not curable.

Stage 4 cancer isn't usually curable, but treatment may improve overall survival and quality of life. Treatment options and survival rates for stage 4 cancer greatly depend on the type of cancer, how well it responds to treatment, a person's overall health, and several other factors.

Early stage cancers of the throat are small, localized, and highly curable when treated with surgery and/or radiation therapy.

The term stage 5 isn't used with most types of cancer. Most advanced cancers are grouped into stage 4. An exception is Wilms tumor, or nephroblastoma, a childhood cancer that originates in the kidneys. Stage 5 Wilms tumors are those that affect both kidneys.

Approximately 50% of untreated head and neck cancer patients will die within 4 months of their diagnosis. However, the remaining patients can survive up to 4 or more years, depending on their tumour location, extent, performance status and level of supportive care.

Rarely are the terms “cure” and “metastatic cancer” used together. That's because cancer that has spread from where it originated in the body to other organs is responsible for most deaths from the disease.

Staging throat cancer

Stage 1: The tumor is limited to the part of the throat where it started. Stage 2: The tumor has grown into a nearby area. Stage 3: The tumor has grown into other structures in the throat or spread to one lymph node. Stage 4: The tumor has spread to the lymph nodes or distant organs.

Throat cancer that has reached this advanced stage is known as metastatic cancer of the throat, or stage 4 throat cancer. At this advanced stage, throat cancer may spread to other nearby structures in the neck, such as the lymph nodes, or to more distant sites such as the lungs.