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The soft palate is located at the upper part behind the mouth and the teeth. Soft palate cancer is a type of throat cancer. It begins when the cells of the soft palate are affected by cancer. The treatment involved is a mixture of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Symptoms
Although a soft palate infection may not be indicative of cancer, soft palate cancer has the following signs and symptoms:
- Bleeding
- Losing weight
- Pain in the ear
- Pain in the mouth
- Mouth sores
- Swallowing pain
- Difficulty swallowing
- Halitosis (bad breath)
- The teeth become not tight fitting
- White patch in mouth
- Swollen and painful neck
If these symptoms persist, consult your doctor or dentist.
Causes
Soft palate tumors begin when the healthy cells undergo genetic mutation and transform into abnormal cells. These abnormal cells divide rapidly and outgrows the health cells forming a tumor. The tumor can then spread to the tissues around it or spread to other areas of the body (metastasize).
Risk factors
These are the risk factors of soft palate cancer:
- Tobacco smoking
- Alcohol consumption
- Being infected with human papillomavirus (HPV)
- Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection
- Taking immunosuppressant medications.
Smoking tobacco and alcohol consumption pose higher risk.
Diagnosis
The following procedure may be performed to diagnose soft palate cancer:
- Soft palate assessment. The doctor will examine the soft palate as well as other areas of the throat using a small camera.
- Biopsy. A small sample of affected tissue is removed and sent for testing at the laboratory by a pathologist to check for cancer signs.
- Diagnostic imaging. Computerized Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) may be performed to determine the size, of cancer and whether it has spread to other areas of the body.
Treatment
The treatment will be based on the patient’s treatment choice and overall health as well as the size of the tumor and where it is located. The following treatments are available:
- Surgery. The tumor can be surgically removed on an outpatient basis if it’s still small in size but if it’s large, extensive surgery is required. Surgery is used to remove the tumor as much as possible. However, if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes of the neck, lymph node removal is required.
- Radiation therapy. Utilizes a powerful energy beam through X-rays and protons destroying cancer. It can be done alone or in combination with chemotherapy or surgery.
- Chemotherapy. Medications are used to kill cancer cells and it can be used in combination with radiation therapy.
- Reconstructive surgery. This procedure may be done based on the cancer’s location and if it has spread to other areas.
- Rehabilitative services. After surgery or radiation therapy, the patient may require to undergo rehabilitation of speech, swallowing, physical or occupational therapy and dietary adjustments.
