Diagnosing laryngeal cancer
Screening means testing people for early stages of a disease. This is before they have any symptoms. For screening to be useful the tests:
need to be reliable at picking up cancers
overall must do more good than harm to people taking part
must be something that people are willing to do
Screening tests are not perfect and have some risks. The screening programme should also be good value for money for the NHS.
Read more about screening for cancer
There is no national screening programme because:
this condition is relatively uncommon, so many people would have unnecessary tests
the benefits don't outweigh the costs
Speak to your GP if you are worried about your risk of laryngeal cancer.
Read about the risks and causes of laryngeal cancer
Do see your GP if you have symptoms you think could be caused by laryngeal cancer. They will refer you to a specialist urgently if they think there is any chance your symptoms could be caused by cancer.
Last reviewed: 09 Jul 2024
Next review due: 09 Jul 2027
Factors that increase the risk of laryngeal cancer include smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol. There are some other risk factors that can increase your risk of developing laryngeal cancer.
Survival depends on many factors including the stage and grade of your cancer.
Symptoms can include a hoarse voice, difficulty swallowing, weight loss and shortness of breath.
You might have surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or a combination of treatments to treat laryngeal cancer.
Laryngeal cancer is cancer that starts in the voice box (larynx). It is a type of head and neck cancer.
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