Actually there is no such medical condition called ‘throat cancer’, although several types of cancer can arise in the throat and neck. The correct medical term for the throat is the ‘pharynx’, which can be defined as the passage that ensures that food and drink go to the stomach and that air goes to and from the lungs. The pharynx is made up of three parts: the oropharynx (the back of the mouth, including the soft palate and base of the tongue); nasopharynx (connecting the back of the nose to the back of the mouth); laryngopharynx (connecting the oropharynx and nasopharynx to the start of the gullet (oesophagus) and the windpipe (trachea) via the voice box (larynx)). The laryngopharynx is sometimes called the hypopharynx. ‘Throat cancer’ can be cancer of any of these, although the most common form of ‘throat cancer’ is nasopharyngeal cancer.

Just to make the term of ‘throat cancer’ even more useless and confusing, some people apply it to cancer of the thyroid gland (situated at the front of the base of the neck), cancer of the voice box (larynx), cancer of the gullet or cancer of the windpipe (trachea), which actually comes in the lung cancer group.

Most head and neck cancer cells are squamous, which means they do not travel far from their origin, although they often affect the lymph nodes. In fact, the first indication of head or throat cancer is often an enlarged neck lymph node, which is also sometimes referred to as throat cancer. Another sign could be appearance of white patches or spots in the mouth that will not respond to treatment. Known as leukoplakia, 33% of them become cancerous. It is estimated that 7,000 Americans die of a throat cancer every year, often because it was detected late. Ethnicity may also play a part, since African American men are 50% more at risk of throat cancer than Caucasian men. These cancers are relatively painless in early stages and can be confused with toothache, earache, sore throat or hoarseness. Once established however, they develop very quickly, although if detected at an early stage, they can almost always be successfully removed.

There is a wide variety of reasons why someone can be at a heightened risk for a throat cancer, including smoking; chewing tobacco and other things, such as betel nut, gutkha, marijuana or pan; heavy alcohol consumption; poor diet resulting in vitamin deficiencies (worse if this is caused by heavy alcohol intake); weakened immune system; asbestos exposure; prolonged exposure to wood dust or paint fumes; exposure to petroleum industry chemicals and being over the age of 55 years. The presence of acid reflux disease (gastroesphogeal reflux disease - GERD) or larynx reflux disease can also be a major factor. In the case of acid reflux disease, stomach acids flow up into the oesophagus and damage its lining, making it more prone to throat cancer. Because successful treatment depends on early detection, regular oral examination is suggested. Your dentist will have been trained to be on the look out for early signs, making a bi-annual visit to him even more rewarding.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to

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Tags: lung cancer, throat cancer

Mesothelioma lawsuits are becoming more and more common. Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that occurs mostly through exposure to asbestos. If someone develops this type of cancer, it’s a good bet he or she was exposed to cancer at some time in his or her past.

The cancer develops in the mesothelium. The mesothelium is the tissue that lines our organs. It lines the pleural cavity (chest area), peritoneum (abdominal cavity) and pericardium (heart cavity). Mesothelioma has a very long latency period. It takes a while for the cancer to show up - about 40-45 years and is very fatal.

Lawsuits can be filed against employers especially if they knew that there was asbestos present on a job site. How do you know if you have grounds for a lawsuit? Just having mesothelioma is not grounds for a lawsuit. There are certain factors to be considered:

Statute of Limitations
You must file a claim within a few years of contracting mesothelioma. If you are the executor of an estate, you must file within a very short time of the victim’s death.

Where were you exposed to Asbestos?
You must be able to pinpoint the exact location where you think you were exposed.

Who is responsible?

As long as you can identify the location or building or job site, lawyers will be able to identify who is responsible.

How much compensation can you win?

Mesothelioma lawsuits can bring compensation ranging from several hundred thousands to millions depending on the respondent’s ability to pay.

Let’s hope no one ever develops this aggressive cancer, but if you do, keep in mind that a mesothelioma lawsuit is an option you should consider to not only help defray medical costs, but in the event of your passing, you will be able to provide for your heirs

For more on mesothelioma, visit wellness.onyxopinions.com/mesothelioma.html wellness.onyxopinions.com/mesothelioma.html

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Tags: mesothelioma

The medical environment has changed completely with the introduction of the internet and the proliferation of web sites offering free medical and healthcare information.

In today’s world, more and more patients are using the internet to search for information about their diseases and for the latest treatment options. In fact, according to a recent Harris Interactive survey, more than 100 million adults in the U.S. are using the internet to search for health information.

Gone are the days when patients passively accepted the treatment offered by their doctors. Today, patients are partners in the decision making about their health.

So, the obvious question is – How reliable is the medical information you find on these free medical web sites?

By the way, the fact that there are incredible free medical and healthcare information web sites on the internet doesn’t necessarily make it easy to find good information.

For example, if you just enter the term Breast Cancer into Google a total of 130 million sites come up. Obviously, no one is going to look at all those sites –in fact, most people rarely look beyond the sites listed on the front page or two.

As wonderful as the internet is as a resource, you must remember that there is a potential downside as well. In the healthcare market, just like in any other market, there are commercial entities trying to sell you a product. Some products may be legitimate but some may be scam cures just trying to take advantage of a cancer patient’s desperation.

And, since the internet is largely unregulated, there is little regulation of the marketing messages.

So here are five tips as you try to determine if the medical information web site you’re visiting is reliable or not:

1. What Is The Ending Of The Website Name?

There are a number of sources of medical information on the internet which tend to be more reliable and trustworthy. These sources are more likely to be universities, hospitals, government agencies, and major public health and health advocacy organizations such as a national cancer society.

The ending of the web site can give you a clue as to the source. For example, the ending:

.gov means that the source is a government agency;
.edu means that the source is a university or another educational institution;
.com means that the source is run privately and very well may be a commercial enterprise);
.org means that the source is a non-profit organization.

2. Who Is Responsible For The Site And What Is The Mission Of The Site?

Look to see if there is any information on who is responsible for the site and what the mission of the site is. On many web sites you’ll see a link, either at the top or bottom of the page, which says something like “About US” or “Who We Are”.

Click on the link and see what information you find.

3. Is The Medical Information Presented On The Site Scientific Or Anecdotal?

If medical information is presented on the web site then you should ask yourself is the information scientific or not. To be considered reliable, medical advances must be proven in scientific studies in which many patients are involved. Anecdotal studies of one patient’s response to a treatment are not considered to be reliable despite the fact that the stories may be extremely compelling. So, check out the web site. Are the medical facts presented as the results of documented studies or are anecdotal, undocumented stories of patients presented.

Also, check to see if references are presented if the results of studies are discussed. Are the studies from respected medical journals?

4. Who Are The Authors Of The Medical Information On The Site?

Check to see who the authors are. What are the credentials of the authors? If necessary, you can even search using the author’s names to see how well known they are in their fields.

5. How Up To Date Is The Medical Information?

Medicine is a rapidly changing field and you’ll want to make sure that the health information at the site you’re searching is updated frequently. If the information isn’t updated regularly, they you may not learn about the latest developments.

The internet provides wonderful opportunities for patients to find the latest and best healthcare information. Using these tips can help you make sure the information you find is reliable and trustworthy.

Dr. Glenn Sheiner is a medical doctor and the author of the ebook and video tutorials