Persistent Sore Throat May Be Sign Of Cancer - Study

Experts have alerted that patients with persistent sore throat, combined with shortness of breath, trouble swallowing or earache, should consider cancer as the cause. Their findings are published in the ‘British Journal of General Practice’. Based on the study, the researchers recommended that patients with persistent hoarseness or an unexplained neck lump should be investigated for throat or laryngeal cancer. 

While throat cancer refers to cancer of the voice box, vocal cords, and other parts of the throat, such as the tonsils and the oropharynx, laryngeal cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the larynx.

 The use of tobacco products and drinking too much alcohol can affect the risk of laryngeal cancer. The larynx is part of the throat found at the entrance of the windpipe that helps you breathe and speak. The researchers said the study also provided the best evidence to date to support the current recommendation to refer older patients with persistent hoarseness.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimate that 8.8 million cancer deaths are recorded globally yearly out of which an estimated 80,000 are Nigerians. About 100,000 new cancer cases are also recorded in the country. 

The research, led by the University of Exeter, looked at patient records from more than 600 general practitioner (GP) practices and studied 806 patients diagnosed with cancer of the larynx and 3,559 control patients. Lead author Dr. Elizabeth Shephard said it was the first real look at all the symptoms that might be important for laryngeal cancer.

“The significance of the study really is that we’ve found that hoarseness is important for laryngeal cancer, but significantly the risk of having laryngeal cancer greatly increases when it’s combined with a recurrent sore throat,” she said. One of the study authors, Prof Willie Hamilton said their research was important because it “has shown the potential severity of some symptom combinations previously thought to be low risk.”

He however pointed out that they were not talking about just any sore throat – “the sore throat has to be significant enough to go to the GP. We’re all used to sore throats, but the sore throats that are reported to GPs are already unusual because it’s gone outside the patient’s norms.” And it is the combination of persistent symptoms – sore throat, hoarseness and breathing or swallowing problems – that could be a warning sign, he said. Shephard said, “It’s vital for selecting the right patients for referral. If we get people earlier we can then diagnose the cancer at an earlier stage and they will have access to the right treatment.”