The symptoms of throat cancer vary according to the location of the tumor. General signs of throat cancer may include the following:

• Sore throat: Pain or discomfort in your throat that doesn’t go away is one of the most common symptoms of throat cancer.
• Voice changes: Cancer in your throat can affect your voice. Your voice might sound different. It may be quieter, husky, or sound as if you have a cold all the time. You might slur some of your words or have trouble pronouncing certain sounds.
• Trouble swallowing: Throat cancer can cause pain or a burning sensation when chewing and swallowing food. You might feel like food is sticking in your throat.
• A lump in your throat: You may have a lump in your throat caused by an enlarged lymph node. Swelling in one or more lymph nodes in the neck is a common symptom of throat cancer, as well as other head and neck cancers. Lumps that come and go are not usually due to cancer. Cancer usually forms a lump that slowly gets bigger.
• Weight loss: Weight loss is a common symptom of many different types of cancer. Throat cancer can make it painful to eat and difficult to swallow, which can cause weight loss.

Other Throat Cancer Signs

• trouble opening your mouth
• trouble moving your tongue
• white patches on your tongue or the lining of your mouth that do not go away
• coughing up blood
• nosebleeds
• headaches
• pain in throat