Learning More About Throat Cancer Risks
- Comedian Mark Steel, 63, announced some joyful news on Friday — with a few jokes of course — sharing with fans that he is now clear from throat cancer following his diagnosis last June. He had found a lump in his throat while shaving.
- Some of the main risk factors for this disease include smoking, drinking alcohol, a diet lacking in fruits or vegetables, acid reflux disease and the human papillomavirus (HPV), one of the most common sexually transmitted viruses affecting around 85% of the population. It is unclear what caused Steel’s throat cancer, but important to know the risks.
- There’s no annual screening for throat cancer, so doctors often discover the disease when a patient sees them with symptoms that may point to it. Some symptoms can include: a cough, changes to your voice, ear pain, difficulty swallowing, and a lump or sore that doesn’t heal.
“A nice man from UCL Hospital (in the UK) called this week, to say a scan of me showed the cancer I had has all gone,” Steel wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “The treatment worked, the cancer bottled it and ran off, the wimp.”
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Turning it to the fans, he added: “And… lots of you sent me messages which was SO appreciated and I’d marry you all if there wasn’t a law against it. Now I’ll shut up about it, after the ‘my cancer journey’ book and tour and musical. And from now on I’ll be careful not to catch cancer again.”
The English broadcaster underwent surgery in October after discovering a lump in his throat in June while he was shaving. He subsequently took six months off of performing stand-up to focus on his health. Thankfully, Steel’s PET scan revealed the cancer had not spread out of his neck and throat area, meaning the probability of a successful combination of treatments was good.
Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation… and now a light at the end of the tunnel for the wise-cracking star.
“I have cancer, but it’s a cancer that can be got rid of,” Steel wrote on his website when he first revealed his disease. “I feel like there’s a leopard in my house, that’s locked in a room.”
“I’ve contacted the leopard authorities and they assure me they are used to dealing with leopards like this, and they have a plan for removing the leopard, though it will take a while, and once in a while I can hear it growl.”
Finding Humor in Cancer
Humor can be a powerful tool when dealing with a cancer journey, and, for some people, it comes quite naturally. Especially for stand-up comedian Jenny Saldana.
“I used to joke that, if it wasn’t for cancer, I’d be a horrible stand-up because my parents love me,” Saldana shared with SurvivorNet. “So if it wasn’t for cancer I’d suck at comedy.”
Jenny Saldana Found Humor in Her Cancer Journey and Turned it into a ‘Dramedy’
Saldana was diagnosed with breast cancer on January 4, 2006, at age 34. And she struggled with the idea of seeing herself as someone with cancer.
Leaning into her natural wit, Saldana wrote a play about her cancer experience while on bed rest for about six weeks following breast reconstruction. The end result was a story that touched many people when she toured it across the United States.
“The play is actually a dramedy,” she said. “There are a lot of funny moments in it.
“But it’s about the struggle of finding your new normal, when you go through something like this.”
Understanding Throat Cancer & HPV-Related Cancers
Throat cancer is a type of head and neck cancer where cancerous cells begin in the throat, voice box or tonsils.
Some of the main risk factors for this disease include smoking, drinking alcohol, a diet lacking in fruits or vegetables, acid reflux disease and the human papillomavirus (HPV), one of the most common sexually transmitted viruses that affects around 85% of the population at some point in their lifetime, per the CDC.
It is unclear what caused Steel’s throat cancer, but it’s important to know about HPV-related cancers like throat cancer.
In order to avoid getting this type of cancer and many others, including anal cancer and cervical cancer, many experts, including the American Cancer Society, recommend that boys and girls ages 9 to 12 get the HPV vaccine. ACS also stresses that teens and young adults through age 26 who are not already vaccinated should get the HPV vaccine as soon as possible.
Dr. Jessica Geiger, a medical oncologist at Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center, explained the link between throat cancer and HPV in a previous interview with SurvivorNet.
“There are no screening guidelines to screen for throat cancer, unlike cervical cancer with pap smears. And there are no standard tests to determine if you harbor the (HPV) virus,” Dr. Geiger said.
“However, there is no concern that you’re going to spread this cancer to your partner or to anyone else, because at this point your partner has already been exposed to the virus and likely cleared it.”
There’s no yearly screening for throat cancer, so doctors often discover the disease when a patient sees them with symptoms that may point to it. Some symptoms include:
- A cough
- Changes in your voice
- Difficulty swallowing
- Ear pain
- A lump or sore that doesn’t heal
- A sore throat
- Weight loss
It’s important to note, however, that these symptoms are not exclusive to throat cancer. Still, you should always see a doctor if you have any changes to your health, especially if you are experiencing lingering health issues.
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