Throat Cancer Diagnosis, Treatments Costs & Recovery Tips

Pharyngeal cancer, also known as throat cancer, is a malignant tumour that starts in the neck and throat including the soft palate (inside and upper back of the mouth), back tongue, both sides of the throat (tonsils), the back of the throat. Although it is uncommon in Hong Kong, it seriously affects your breath, speech, diet and thus daily life once diagnosed. In this article, Cigna Smart Health introduces the diagnosis, treatments and post-treatment recovery tips to you.

Diagnosis of Throat Cancer and the Costs

Difficulty swallowing, sore throat, hoarseness and swelling neck are the possible symptoms of throat cancer. If the symptoms persist, you should seek medical advice as soon as possible. According to your conditions, your doctor may conduct the following tests to detect if malignant tumours exist.

Tests for Throat Cancer		Principles	Reference Fees for Diagnosing Throat Cancer (HKD)*
Endoscopy		Detect if there are any abnormalities in the throat and vocal cords	Nasal Endoscopy - Outpatient: $1,500 - $1,890
Radiography	X-Ray	Detect the location and size of a tumour. A biopsy is required to determine if the tumour is benign or malignant.	Head and neck X-ray outpatient: $200 - $630
	CT Scan	Analyse the size and area of a tumour. Compare the affected area with the non-affected area to understand the difference.	$4,600 - $6,190
	MRI	Precisely locate the affected areas and inspect if the tumour spreads to other areas, such as the neck.	$5,050 - $13,700
	PET Scan	Locate the tumour to understand if it spreads.	$12,600 - $31,000
Biopsy		A small piece of the tumour is obtained during a biopsy for an examination by a neuropathologist.	$1,550 - $5,940
FNA Cytology (per site)		Obtain cell samples from the tumour with a needle for testing.	$440 - $1,260
Blood tests for liquid biopsy		A new technology under research to accurately perform early screening for cancer cells with a small amount of blood sample.	Please consult your doctor

^*Charges as of 3 Jun 2021; With reference to the charges of local private hospitals and the Hospital Authority

Treatments of Thorat Cancer and the Costs

According to the stages and spread of the tumour, your doctors may suggest the following treatments.

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Treatments of Throat Cancer	Principles	Reference Fees for Treating Throat Cancer (HKD)*	Side Effects
Surgery	Depending on the spread of cancer cells, your doctor may conduct a partial resection or laser removal to remove the tumour. A larger resection area is needed if the cancer cells spread to adjacent regions, possibly leaving scars on your face or neck. Cosmetic surgery, skin or bone transplant may be required afterwards.	Please consult your doctor.	Pain Short-term speaking problems
Chemotherapy	Chemotherapy drugs can be taken orally or injected into a vein to enter the bloodstream and travel throughout the body to destroy cancer cells.	Application and preparation costs: $2,400 per day; chemotherapy drugs are charged separately at cost.	Nausea Vomiting Hair loss Tiredness Sore mouth Mouth ulcers
Radiotherapy	Radiation therapy can come from a large machine outside your body (external beam radiation) to deliver radiation to the cancer cells, causing them to die. It can also come from tiny radioactive seeds and wires that can be placed inside your body, near your cancer (brachytherapy).	Total body (per session)：$9,430	Skin pain Mouth and throat sores Dry mouth Loss of taste Loss of appetite Hair loss Nausea Tiredness Infection in the mouth and oesophagus Pain and mouth ulcers
Photodynamic therapy (PDT)	Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is also called light activating treatment. It kills cancer cells by using a combination of a light sensitising drug and a very bright light. PDT can completely cure some early throat cancers.	Please consult your doctor.	Photosensitive skin Pain at the site Swallowing problems Bleeding
Targeted Drug Therapy	Targeted therapy drugs for throat cancer: Cetuximab.	Please consult your doctor.	Rash Skin infections Photosensitive skin Headache Tiredness Diarrhoea Fever

Post-Treatment Recovery of Throat Cancer

As mentioned above, the locations of throat cancer cause trouble to one’s daily life. Despite the high recovery rate, throat cancer survivors may experience complications after the treatments. These may include:

• Swallowing problems：Surgery or radiation therapy may affect the ability to control the muscles of the mouth or throat, leading to trouble swallowing, dry mouth, or even loss of teeth. This can make it hard to eat, leading to weight loss and weakness from poor nutrition.
• Speaking ability：Survivors may have difficulties or even fail in pronunciation and speaking. If the larynx (voice box) is removed, they may need to see a speech therapist to restore speech.
• Social life：Due to the above complications and changes in appearance after surgeries, some may feel depressed and escape from maintaining a healthy social life.

These complications can be temporary or long-term. If necessary, survivors may need to receive speech therapy and swallowing therapy to strengthen the throat muscles and reconstruct the cells and tissues for resuming their everyday life.

Furthermore, pharyngeal cancer survivors have a higher risk of another head and neck tumour. Therefore, quitting smoking and drinking is essential after recovery to lower the chance of recurrence with regular full body check-ups for prevention.

Post-Treatment Diet of Throat Cancer

For throat cancer survivors, eating is a challenge in their daily life. Below are the dietary tips from the Hong Kong Cancer Fund to help those with swallowing problems.

• Try different food options with new cooking methods
• Choose enticing and aromatic dishes
• Foods (such as meat, fish or cheese) with high calories and protein
• Use more oil or butter while cooking
• Add more flavourings with herbs and marinades
• Try soft foods (such as milkshake, scrambled eggs or mashed vegetables) if having mouth pain or swallowing problems
• Avoid irritating food (too spicy or sour)
• Avoid drinking acidic drinks, such as orange juice, lemon juice and tomato juice
• Add sauce to food for easier swallowing
• Eat smaller meals

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