• Guidelines for treating this cancer have been developed by the Head and Neck Tumour Group.
• For health professional information on treating this cancer, please see our Cancer Management Guidelines.
• Pharynx cancer may also be called throat cancer, pharyngeal cancer or tumour, nasopharyngeal cancer or carcinoma, NPC, or oropharyngeal cancer.
• The pharynx is the tube or passageway that connects the nose to the larynx (the voicebox) and the back of the mouth to the esophagus. It has three parts:
• The upper part or Nasopharynx is the part of the airway that lies behind the nose and above the soft palate. The Eustachian tubes from the middle ear enter the side walls of the nasopharynx.
• The middle part or Oropharynx lies at the back of the mouth and includes the soft palate, the tonsils, the uvula, the base of the tongue and the back or posterior wall of the throat
• The lower section (Hypopharynx or Laryngopharynx) lies on either side of and behind the larynx and connects to the esophagus.

What causes it and who gets it?

Listed below are some of the known risk factors for this cancer. Not all of the risk factors below may cause this cancer, but they may be contributing factors.

• Tobacco use in any form (including passive or second-hand smoking) increases the risk of developing pharyngeal cancer. The longer tobacco has been used, the greater the risk.
• Heavy drinking greatly increases the risk for pharyngeal cancer.
• Drinking alcohol in combination with tobacco use greatly increases the risk of pharyngeal cancer.
• Cancer of the nasopharynx is more common in people from Hong Kong and the nearby provinces of southern China, people from the Middle East and Mediterranean basin, and Inuit peoples, regardless of their smoking or alcohol consumption patterns.
• Exposure to the Epstein-Barr virus increases the risk.
• Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection is a risk factor.
• Eating a steady diet of salt-cured meats and fish increases the risk.
• Men are two to three times as likely as women to develop NPC (nasopharyngeal cancer).
• Aging is a factor. In BC, the vast majority of these cancers are diagnosed in people aged 40 and older.
• Pharynx cancers are rare in Canada.
• Statistics
• BC
• Canada 

Can I help to prevent it?

Tobacco and alcohol use are both major risk factors for pharyngeal cancer.

• To reduce your risk, don’t smoke, and avoid exposure to tobacco and cigarette smoke. Even if you have been using tobacco for many years, quitting will reduce your cancer risk. Support is available to help you successfully quit. Visit the BC Cancer Agency’s Prevention page on Tobacco for information and resources.
• Avoid excessive use of alcohol. Not drinking at all will reduce your cancer risk the most. If you choose to drink alcohol, the key is to keep your drinking at the safest possible levels, called low-risk drinking. The American Institute for Cancer Research advises that if you do drink alcohol, limit your consumption to no more than two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women. 
  
• Patients who are cured of pharyngeal cancer are more likely to develop a second cancer if they continue to use tobacco. Even if you are diagnosed with a pharyngeal cancer, quitting tobacco can reduce the possibility of the cancer returning.
  

Screening for this cancer

• No effective screening program exists for this cancer yet.
• Physical examination of the head and neck by a physician is effective for diagnosing pharyngeal cancer. 
• People who regularly use tobacco and alcohol (or who regularly used them in the past) should go for a thorough physical examination by a doctor at least once a year.

Signs and Symptoms

• A common symptom is an enlarged, usually painless, lump in the neck.
• Other symptoms depend on where the cancer is located in the pharynx.
• Some tumours may produce no symptoms and may be found at a routine examination.
• Symptoms of cancer of the nasopharynx include: Frequent nosebleeds, deafness on one side or feeling that one ear won't "pop" (blocked Eustachian tube), persistent headache, double vision (due to involvement of the nerves that lie just above the nasopharynx), numbness or change in sensation over the face.
• Symptoms of oropharyngeal cancer include: Persistent sore throat, pain on swallowing, earache, coughing up blood, difficulty swallowing, change in voice or hoarseness.
• Symptoms of hypopharyngeal cancer are: Persistent sore throat, pain or difficulty when swallowing, hoarseness.
• Many of the common symptoms of cancer of the pharynx are also symptoms of non-cancerous conditions. People showing any of the above symptoms for more than two weeks should be evaluated by a physician.