Isabela Vieira        Reporter Agência Brasil

Brasília – According to the president of the Brazilian Society of Clinical Oncology, Enaldo Melo de Lima, when cancer of the larynx, or the voice box, is discovered early, the chances of cure are above 70%. Even in advanced cases, the cure rate is around 50%. The normal treatment is chemotherapy and radiotherapy. But Melo de Lima says that in some cases surgery may be necessary with the removal of the larynx and loss of voice.

“The main problem with laryngeal cancer is that some patients do not respond to what we call conservative treatment, that is, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, so we have to be more aggressive and remove the larynx that means loss of voice,” explained doctor Melo de Lima.

Brazil’s National Cancer Institute (“INCA”), reports that smokers have ten times more probability of getting laryngeal cancer than people who do not smoke. And smokers who drink a lot are 43 times more likely to get it.

Allen Bennett – translator/editor The News in English

Link - Consumo de cigarro e de bebidas alcoólicas está entre principais causas do câncer de laringe