Treatments for laryngeal cancer
If you have laryngeal cancer, your healthcare team will create a treatment plan just for you. It will be based on your health and specific information about the cancer. When deciding which treatments to offer for laryngeal cancer, your healthcare team will consider:
- the location of the tumour
- the stage of the tumour
- your general health
- your age
- what you prefer or want
Treatments for carcinoma of the glottis
Glottic carcinoma is cancer that starts in the glottis of the larynx. It is the most common type of laryngeal cancer. In general, glottic cancer is well differentiated (low grade) and grows slowly.
Treatments for supraglottic carcinoma
Supraglottic carcinoma is cancer that starts in the supraglottis of the larynx. It is the second most common type of laryngeal cancer. The supraglottis contains many lymph vessels. As a result, supraglottic carcinomas commonly spread to the lymph nodes. Radiation therapy is often given to the lymph nodes.
Treatments for carcinoma of the subglottis
Subglottic carcinoma is cancer that starts in the subglottis of the larynx. It is a very rare type of laryngeal cancer.
Radiation therapy for laryngeal cancer
Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays or particles to destroy cancer cells. It is usually used to treat laryngeal cancer.
Surgery for laryngeal cancer
The main goal of surgery for laryngeal cancer is to completely remove the cancer while saving as much function of the larynx (speaking, swallowing and breathing) as possible. This is called laryngeal preservation or conservation. For laryngeal preservation, other treatments are often considered first to avoid having a total laryngectomy.
Chemotherapy for laryngeal cancer
Chemotherapy is used to treat advanced laryngeal cancer. It is usually given along with radiation therapy (chemoradiation).
Targeted therapy for laryngeal cancer
A targeted therapy is a type of treatment that uses drugs to target specific molecules (usually proteins) involved in cancer cell growth while limiting harm to normal cells. Targeted therapy may also be called molecular targeted therapy.
Immunotherapy for laryngeal cancer
Immunotherapy is sometimes used to treat laryngeal cancer. Immunotherapy helps to strengthen or restore the immune system’s ability to fight cancer. Immunotherapy is sometimes called biological therapy.
Follow-up after treatment for laryngeal cancer
Laryngeal cancer behaves differently in each person, and a standard follow-up schedule would not work for everyone. Talk with your doctor about a follow-up plan that suits your situation. Follow-up care is often shared among the cancer specialists (surgeon, radiation oncologist and medical oncologist) and your family doctor, dentist and speech therapist.