Throat Cancer Question, Pain on left side of neck.

[Liverpoolfanatic]

Hi all. I have a question regarding throat or Thyroid cancer. I am a 28 year old male (half white/half Asian) I have been smoking for 8 years, 1 pack a day. For the last 3 weeks, I have had what i would describe as an uncomfortable sensation along my left side on my neck.

It's not a sore throat, but it feels like muscle pain along the main muscle running from my ears, down to my collar bone. The pain is not sharp, but its uncomfortable. I thought it might be caused by my sleeping position, but I am scared it might be a symptom of Throat cancer. If I do have it, what is the prognosis, and should I go see a doctor? (Dumb question, I have an appointment next week)

The pain as mention is not really pain, but an uncomfortable feeling its been there since 3 weeks. Its the worse when I wake up in the mornings. It is only on my left side however. My lymph nodes do not appear to be swollen, and I wonder if its muscle related or might be related to a symptom of throat cancer. I cough from time to time, and oh yeah, it does feel uncomfortable when I swallow at times. The uncomfortable feeling is not just on a precise location, it seems to vary in location on my left side neck during different times of the day. I appreciate all the possible feedback guys

Thanks.

Jonathan

[Liverpoolfanatic]

Hi Dr Santos,

Thank you. I have an appointment with my GP tomorrow and she will refer me to an ENT Specialist and I will have all kinds of tests done in the next 10 days. I definitely will keep you posted. As for the symptoms, it is just the uncomfortable feeling on my left side of the neck. It is mostly situation on the neck muscle. I dont feel any lumps and have no other symptoms. If it is throat cancer, is the prognosis good or bad?

[Dr Santos]

Hi Jonathan,
How are you? Pain in the neck could be due to a variety if issues such as musculoskeletal, infection or possibly cancer. Cancer of the throat may involve  the vocal cords, larynx, or other areas of the throat. This usually presents with abnormal breathing sounds, cough with or without blood, difficulty swallowing, hoarseness that does not get better in 1 - 2 weeks, neck pain, swelling or lumps in the neck, sore throat that not get better, or unintentional weight loss. To rule this out, you may need to have this checked by your doctor or ENT for proper evaluation. Diagnostic tests such as chest x-ray, CT scan/MRI of chest, head or neck may need to be done. Take care and do keep us posted.