Read article Having a breathing stoma due to mouth or oropharyngeal cancer
This page tells you what a breathing stoma is and when you are most likely to have one for a head and neck cancer. There is information about
Having a breathing stoma due to mouth cancer
A breathing stoma is a hole (opening) made in the skin in front of your neck to allow you to breathe. The opening is at the base of your neck. Through this hole, air enters and leaves your windpipe (trachea) and lungs. You may need a stoma if your mouth or oropharyngeal cancer is blocking your throat and it is too big to completely remove. Or if you have swelling in and around your voice box after radiotherapy.
These situations are most likely to happen with very large tumours of the tongue and oropharynx. Your surgeon will make the stoma when you have your operation to remove your cancer.
Bear in mind that this is a rare operation for cancer of the tongue and oropharynx. And most stomas for head and neck cancer are temporary. Before you have surgery ask your doctor if you will have a breathing stoma and how long it is likely to stay in for. If you still have your voice box and the stoma is temporary, it is called a tracheostomy. You may only need to have a temporary tracheostomy.
If you have had your voice box removed, you will have a permanent stoma to breathe through. You need this because the connection between your windpipe and mouth has gone. The stoma is called a tracheostomy or laryngectomy stoma.
You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the living with mouth cancer section.
A stoma is a hole (opening) made in the skin in front of your neck to allow you to breathe. The opening is made at the base of your neck. Through this hole air enters and leaves your windpipe (trachea) and lungs. A breathing stoma is not necessary for all types of head and neck cancer, so you may not need one.
You may need a stoma if
- You have had surgery to remove all or part of your voice box (laryngectomy) to treat larynx cancer or mouth and oropharyngeal cancer
- Your mouth or oropharyngeal cancer is blocking your throat and it is too big to completely remove
- You have swelling in and around your voice box after radiotherapy
- Your surgeon expects you to have a lot of swelling in your mouth and throat after your surgery
These situations are most likely to happen with very large tumours of the tongue and oropharynx. Your surgeon will make the stoma when you have your operation to remove your cancer.
Bear in mind that this is a rare operation for cancer of the tongue and oropharynx. And most stomas for head and neck cancer are temporary. Before you have surgery, ask your doctor if you will need to have a breathing stoma and how long it is likely to stay in for.
If you still have your voice box and this hole is temporary, it is called a tracheostomy. You may only need to have a temporary tracheostomy. This means that you have the tracheostomy until the swelling and voice box heals. Then, the tracheostomy tube can come out and usually the hole will heal up by itself. If not, then it may need to be closed with an operation.
If you have had your voice box removed, you will have a permanent stoma to breathe through. You need this because the connection between your windpipe and mouth has gone.
Your nurse or doctor may still call this a tracheostomy, but the hole is a different shape if you've had your voice box completely taken out and ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) specialists prefer to call it a laryngectomy stoma.
There is detailed information about starting out with a breathing stoma and life with a breathing stoma in the larynx cancer section of CancerHelp UK.
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