Radiation therapy, often given with chemo, might be needed after surgery, especially if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or has other features that make it more likely to come back. If they haven't spread already, these cancers have a high risk of spreading to nearby lymph nodes in the neck, so these lymph nodes are often removed along with the tumor if surgery is being done. Surgery for these tumors is almost always complete removal of the larynx (total laryngectomy), but a small number of these cancers might be treated by partial laryngectomy. Immunotherapy might be another option for some people with stage IV cancer. Radiation therapy alone (or with the targeted drug cetuximab) may be an option for people who cannot tolerate more intensive treatments. The main options for initial treatment for these cancers are surgery, chemotherapy followed by chemoradiation, or chemotherapy with radiation. If, after surgery, the cancer is found to have features that make it more likely to come back, more treatment (such as radiation therapy, chemoradiation, or more extensive surgery) might be needed. If your treatment is radiation therapy alone, you will also get radiation to the lymph nodes in the neck. If you're having surgery for supraglottic laryngectomy, the surgeon might also remove lymph nodes from your neck (called a lymph node dissection). Supraglottic cancer: Supraglottic cancers are more likely to spread to the lymph nodes in the neck. If you need more treatment after surgery, your options might include radiation therapy, chemoradiation, or surgery to remove more of the larynx. Radiation or surgery is usually enough to treat most glottic cancers unless there are signs that the treatment might not have cured the cancer (such as finding cancer cells at the edge of the removed tumor). Glottic cancer: Some early glottic cancers might be treated by removing the vocal cord with cancer ( cordectomy), or even by laser surgery. The treatment for glottic (vocal cord) cancers and supraglottic cancers (those starting above the vocal cords) is slightly different. Voice problems tend to be less with radiation therapy than with partial laryngectomy, and there tend to be fewer problems with radiation treatment. Many doctors use radiation therapy for smaller cancers. Most stage I and II laryngeal cancers can be treated successfully without removing the whole larynx.Įither radiation alone or surgery with a partial laryngectomy can be used in most people. But, it's important for people to know that if they continue to smoke, this makes treatment less likely to work and increases the chance that another tumor will develop. If the cancer does comes back, radiation can be used.Īt this stage, almost all cancers can be cured without major surgery. The patient is then watched closely to see if the cancer returns. They are nearly always curable with either endoscopic surgery or radiation therapy. These cancers are almost always glottic (vocal cord) cancers that are found early because of voice changes. Quitting smoking for good is the best way to improve your survival. Smoking also increases the risk of the cancer coming back after treatment as well as the risk of getting a new cancer. It is best to stop smoking completely before starting treatment. Smoking during cancer treatment is linked to more side effects, worse outcomes, and reduced benefit of treatment. Ask if the treatment will change how you look, talk, breathe, and eat. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions about the recommended treatment plan. If you have any other suggestions for new songs to do in club, please email me at YL1941 at gmail.Treatment of laryngeal or hypopharyngeal cancer is based largely on the stage (extent) of the cancer, but other factors are also important, such as your overall health and your personal preferences. Wagon Wheel- Darius Rucker (Old Crow Med Show). Chords/Slides for these songs are in the appropriate categories below. You can also download these chords and slides through the ‘Songs’ tab above.Īt our club we try and select one from each category below, except content songs, of which we typically do two. Special thanks to Sean McGever at for helping make this club music resource a reality! Pictured above is Sean’s club music sets for this Fall 2014 semester.
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