Diagnosis of Throat Cancer

Diagnosis of any disease or disorder is done with the help symptoms as experienced by the patient. Same rule applies for diagnosis of throat cancer. As you go for its diagnosis, your doctor would first ask about all sorts of symptoms experienced by you, mild, moderate and severe ones. Suspecting the issue to be cancer, he may also ask about your family history to know if anybody in your family had the same problem. He would then conduct a physical examination to confirm if these symptoms are really related to the main problem. He also finds out the intensity of these symptoms.

After the physical examination is done, he then would recommend some important diagnostic tests that would help him diagnose and finally confirm about the disease. These tests are endoscopy and certain imaging tests like computerized tomography test scan (CTT scan), positron emission tomography scan (PET scan) and magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI scan) test. During endoscopy, thin and long tubes with very tiny video camera are inserted to see the throat and entire respiratory tract. The areas covered for observation purposes are esophagus and bronchi. Tissue samples are also taken from the areas, when required. The entire process is shown and guided through a TV. All this is done under anesthesia. Diagnosis of throat cancer is done pretty well through this scan.

For complete diagnosis of throat cancer, other imaging tests are also performed as additional tests. They are done to determine the state of the cancer and the areas to which it has spread. Cancer spreads in other parts of the body, if stays undiagnosed or untreated. To check this, these scan tests are performed so that no stone is left unturned while the diagnosis is on. This helps in judging out the type and extent of treatment to be given to the patient.