Laryngeal Cancer
Risk Factors
Many risk factors are
suspected in the development of laryngeal cancer, the most common include:
- Age – laryngeal cancer affects mainly people between 50
and 75 years;
- Sex - men are more often diagnosed with laryngeal cancer
than women are;
- Chemicals - exposure to fumes of sulfuric acid and of
asbestos; toxic vapors of organic substances / chemicals increases the risk of laryngeal
cancer;
- Diet - eating a diet low in fruits and vegetables and
rich in salted and spicy foods can cause laryngeal
cancer;
- Race - laryngeal cancer is twice more common in people of
African descent than among Caucasians;
- Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- prolonged irritation associated with
gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
may cause the occurrence of cancers of the esophagus and larynx.
- Abuse of
the vocal cords - if you
continuously abuse your vocal cords (if you're a singer for example), you can develop polyps that can turn
into cancer if not removed;
- Heavy alcohol consumption - a moderate consumption of alcohol does not
represents any health risk; heavy consumption, however, can double your risk of developing cancer of the
larynx. When tobacco is involved, the risk is considerably increased.
- Human papillomavirus – it is shown in many studies that a mother affected
by HPV can transmit the virus to her child during birth. Without effective treatment, the virus will bind
to the larynx and causes later formation of tumors called laryngeal papillomas, which can develop into
cancer.
- Weakened
immune system - if
your immune system is weakened, you are your likely to develop all types of cancer including laryngeal
cancer. Factors that can weaken your immune system are numerous, the most common include:
a)
HIV
/ AIDS
b)
stress
c)
unhealthy / poor
diet
d)
malnutrition
e)
taking
immunosuppressive drugs after an organ transplant
f)
cancer
treatment: chemotherapy, radiation, etc..
Causes
Symptoms
| 
