Is strep throat a sign of throat/oesophageal cancer?

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor of Otolaryngology - Department of Medical Examination and Internal Medicine - Vinmec Hai Phong International Hospital. The doctor has more than 10 years of experience in examining and treating ear-nose-throat diseases in adults and children.

Swallowing problems is a fairly common symptom of a sore throat, especially in chronic cases. This symptom is very uncomfortable, causes a decline in quality of life and sometimes makes patients worry and afraid of cancerous diseases. The following article will help you have a clear assessment of this issue and guide you to deal with when you have a sore throat.

Swallowing is an extremely complex movement, demonstrating the synchronous coordination of many organ systems. Swallowing takes place very quickly but requires a sophisticated mechanism, divided into 2 stages:
First stage : The stage of conscious swallowing. We are in full control of this process. First, inside the oral cavity, thanks to the lips, teeth, and tongue, food is pureed and balled into blocks of moderate size, placed on the body of the tongue. The tongue muscle moves upward and backward to push the mass of food against the roof of the palate and down the posterior wall of the pharynx; The next stage: Called the unconscious swallowing phase, it occurs automatically in the pharynx and esophagus. This process is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, but human consciousness cannot interfere. It is the natural reflexes of glottis closure and peristalsis to contract the esophagus, helping the food to move gradually down to the stomach. Because the mass of food must pass through the junction of the respiratory and digestive tracts, any abnormality in each mechanism can cause the swallowing reflex to malfunction. The problem may be caused by:
Oropharyngeal muscles, nerves; Type of food and drink; Due to anatomical abnormalities, pathologies in the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, and stomach. Manifestations of these disorders are vomiting, difficulty swallowing and entanglement.
In which, swallowing is the patient's subjective complaint that causes many people to worry. This concept needs to be distinguished from dysphagia - the patient is still able to swallow completely and does not need to exert too much effort to get food into the body.

Because swallowing is caused by many coordinated mechanisms, the causes of entanglement are very diverse, which can be temporarily divided into the following groups:
2.1. Swallowing problems due to chronic pharyngitis This is the most common cause. The tonsils in the pharynx, which have been infected for a long time, become enlarged, increase in size, and obstruct the swallowing passage. Therefore, when the mass of food passes, the patient feels a re-entanglement. This pathology is easy to detect by using a pharyngoscope with a tongue depressor, you will see 2 very large tonsils.
The cause of chronic pharyngitis can be caused by local diseases of the ear, nose and throat such as recurrent infections without thorough treatment, or from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract such as gastroesophageal reflux. However, in general, chronic pharyngitis is common in people who drink a lot, have a habit of smoking, eat late at night, lie down right after eating, ...

2.2. Due to latent rhinosinusitis This group of patients completely does not show typical symptoms of sinusitis such as stuffy nose, runny nose, headache... However, when the patient goes to the doctor because of difficulty swallowing, through the tool. During nasopharynoscopy, the doctor discovered that a lot of cloudy pus flows from the nose to the back of the throat, causing stagnation here, forming an infection.

2.3. Due to local benign tumors and cysts When the hypopharynx or the base of the tongue has cysts and papillae on the mucosa, these are obstructions to the feeding and breathing passages. Although these lesions are completely benign, if they grow over time, they will cause the patient to feel trapped when swallowing, sometimes causing airway obstruction, causing sleep apnea syndrome.
If the disease is severe, the patient needs to go to the pharynx to assess the location and size of the tumor to consider the indication for local surgical intervention.
2.4. Due to cancer diseases This cause is much less common than the above causes but absolutely must not be overlooked because of its severe prognosis. The types of cancer that occur in this area can be throat cancer and early esophageal cancer.
The patient's initial manifestation is just swallowing problems. However, this symptom progresses very quickly to painful or difficult swallowing, accompanied by other systemic symptoms such as swollen lymph nodes in the neck, poor appetite, weight loss, fatigue, and depression. If subjectively do not go to the doctor and detect it early, all efforts to intervene later will sometimes be late.

Because there are many reasons from simple to complex mentioned above, the first thing to do is not to be subjective when swallowed. This means actively looking for the cause when the sensation of swallowing is really repeated over several days in a row.
The specialty to be examined is otolaryngology. The doctor will examine the throat with a conventional light or may appoint an endoscope to examine the lower area more thoroughly. If a papilloma is present, the doctor will intervene locally and take a biopsy sample for cytological diagnosis. From there, the treatment must depend on the specific cause. However, if there is a proactive spirit from the beginning, the disease will have a much better prognosis, especially in the group of cancer patients.
In summary, difficulty swallowing is a common manifestation of many diseases of the oropharynx. Diagnosis and treatment depend on the specific disease. This symptom is also the beginning of many dangerous diseases. Therefore, patients need to actively visit early, choose a reputable specialist to protect the health of themselves and their loved ones.
Currently, the ENT specialist - Vinmec International General Hospital is a prestigious address, trusted by many customers in the examination and treatment of common ENT diseases, head and neck tumors. or congenital malformations in the ear, nose and throat area by common surgical methods such as surgery, microscopic or endoscopic atrial patching, fistula removal, etc. Not only the system of facilities and equipment. With modern equipment, Vinmec is also the place to gather a team of experienced doctors and nurses who will greatly assist in the diagnosis and early detection of abnormal signs of the patient's body. In particular, with a space designed according to 5-star hotel standards, Vinmec guarantees to bring patients the most comfort, friendliness and peace of mind during the examination and treatment at the Hospital.