Vocal Cord Cancer

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Cancer is a dreaded term that most patients fear. Sometimes, the fear of cancer is so strong, that patients do not come to see their doctors because they are afraid that the physician might tell them they have cancer.

So, we should explain cancer first. When we are born, the cells in our body have the ability to divide and grow which is how we transform from infants into adults. However, human cells are programmed to stop growing once they reach their designated size and occupy the space in the body allotted to them. In the most clear terms, cancer is what happens when cells that should have stopped growing keep growing.

The problem is that these unregulated, uncontrolled cells will keep growing and will invade the space of normal cells and take over. The vocal cords can be a site of cancer. Hoarseness and pain are some of the common symptoms.

Cancers in the vocal cords are often found early—meaning the tumor is small and hasn’t invaded the surrounding tissue yet—and these can be treated well by cutting them out surgically.

Patient’s MUST be followed closely to make sure that there is no recurrence of cancer, but also to insure that no new cancers develop. For more advanced cancers, patients are typically referred to the Head and Neck Cancer service with Dr. Barry Wenig and Dr. Gina Jefferson.