Laryngopharynx Health Dictionary

The passage that connects the back of the mouth and nose to the oesophagus.

The upper part, or nasopharynx, connects the nasal cavity to the area behind the soft palate.

The middle part, the oropharynx, runs from the nasopharynx to below the tongue.

The lower part, called the laryngopharynx, lies behind and to each side of the larynx.... pharynx

A cancerous tumour of the pharynx. Pharyngeal cancer usually develops in the mucous membrane lining. In the West, almost all cases of pharyngeal cancer are related to smoking and to drinking alcohol. The incidence rises with age, and the disorder is more common in men.

Cancerous tumours of the oropharynx (the middle section of the pharynx) usually cause difficulty swallowing, often with a sore throat and earache. Bloodstained sputum may be coughed up. Sometimes there is only the feeling of a lump in the throat or a visible enlarged lymph node in the neck. Cancer of the laryngopharynx (the lowermost part of the pharynx) initially causes a sensation of incomplete swallowing, then a muffled voice, hoarseness, and increased difficulty in swallowing. Tumours of the nasopharynx have different causes.Diagnosis of cancer of the pharynx is made by biopsy, often in conjunction with laryngoscopy, bronchoscopy, or oesophagoscopy.

The growth may be removed surgically or treated with radiotherapy.

Anticancer drugs may also be given.... pharynx, cancer of

(laryngopharynx) n. the part of the pharynx that lies below the level of the hyoid bone.... hypopharynx