There are many different treatments for throat cancers. The treatment used will vary depending on the location of the cancer, the type and its stage of development (extent of spread). The patient’s general health and additional factors will also be considered in treatment planning. Treatment often will combine a number of approaches, including:

• Surgery. Some throat cancers can be cured by resecting (removing) the tumor. This may involve inserting instruments into the mouth to remove the throat cancer, or using an incision in the neck.
  
  In other cases, surgery may include removal of the larynx. This procedure, known as a laryngectomy, may be necessary when cancer has affected tissue in the laryngeal area. In a laryngectomy procedure, the larynx or voice box is removed. The windpipe is then attached to the skin of the neck as a hole (stoma). The patient breathes through the hole and will have to undergo speech therapy to learn to communicate. Some patients may be able to communicate with esophageal speech, which uses the walls of the throat instead of the vocal cords, to produce voice.  In other patients, a device may be placed in the stoma to produce a synthetic voice. Some patients may use an external device known as an electrolarynx to produce a voice. The small vibrating instrument is held against the throat while the patient mouths words. Swallowing skills  may be affected with a laryngectomy and patients may need to receive therapy for dysphagia (difficulty swallowing). A  speech-language pathologist can provide therapy for swallowing and communication problems.
  

Other forms of surgery that may be used to treat patients with throat cancer include:

• Lymph node dissection.. Removal of lymph nodes affected by cancer spread.
  
  
• • Pedicle or free-flap reconstruction. Throat defects caused by removal of large tumors may require reconstruction using tissue from another part of the body.
    
    
  • Pharyngectomy. Removal of a portion or all of the hypopharynx. Several reconstructive procedures can be used to rebuild the pharynx and improve the patient’s ability to swallow after the operation. Usually the larynx must also be removed.
    
    
  • Tracheostomy. Cancers that block the throat and are too large to remove may require a tracheostomy. This is a hole in the neck that bypasses the tumor and allows the patient to breathe more easily through the neck.
    
    
  • Vocal cord stripping (removing superficial layers of vocal cord tissue) or cordectomy (removing part or all of the vocal cords).
    
    
• Radiation therapy. Uses specialized high-energy beams or particles to destroy cancer cells or slow their rate of growth. This therapy may be more effective for those patients who have quit smoking. It may be used before or after surgery and in combination with chemotherapy. In addition to external radiation therapy, patients may receive internal radiation, also known as brachytherapy. This type of treatment uses radioactive “seeds” or capsules that are implanted directly into or near the tumor. 
  
  
• Chemotherapy. Use of powerful drugs that destroy cancer cells and help prevent them from spreading. Chemotherapy may be given intravenously or taken by mouth. Chemotherapy typically uses a combination of drugs and is given when the cancer is suspected to have spread in the body.

Other types of treatments are being researched in clinical trials.