It’s well known that long term smoking can increase the incidence of lung cancer while it’s seldom known that smoking may also increase the risk of getting throat cancer. Actually smoking is the primary risk factor of throat cancer, which has been certified by the fact that 95 percent of patients who have treated in hospital had a history of smoking.

According to a research done in Finland, daily smokers over 30 pieces have higher risk of getting throat cancer than nonsmokers; the risk is decreased for people who quit smoking or have intermittent history of smoking. Therefore, the longer duration of smoking or heavier amount people have, the higher risk there will be. People should give up smoking as to prevent throat cancer.

To prevent throat cancer, there are following measures:

1. Quit smoking: it’s very important measure to prevent throat cancer. Because tobacco combustion can produce tobacco tar, benzene pyrene among which can lead to cancerization. What’s more, the smog caused by tobacco can stop or delay ciliary movement which may lead to mucous edema and bleeding, resulting in epithelial hyperplasia , thickening and squamatization, the basis of carcinogenicity.

2. Moderate alcohol drinking: alcohol can irritate mucous membranes and make mucous denatured. Long-term alcohol consumption may lead to cancerization.

3. Active treatment for throat disease such as chronic laryngitis, respiratory inflammation, and so on.

4. Look out for pre-cancerous lesions: laryngeal keratosis and benign throat tumor such as Laryngeal papilloma can become cancerous as it recurrent attacks. People should take active treatment and do regular check up.

5. Reduce air pollution and eliminate occupational hazards: it’s prone to cause throat cancer that long term inhalation of harmful gases such as sulfur dioxide, industrial dust and hazardous substances -- such as chromium and arsenic, etc.

*Surgery, in addition to the appropriate chemotherapy and radiotherapy, are effective in treating early cancer, but certain patients in late stage of cancer may not be tolerate surgery well as they can be relatively weak. A combination of carefully planned minimally invasive therapy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy can effectively reduce the side effects and discomfort of treatment and may help patient get better efficacy.