A woman in Washington discovers she has a cancerous tumor on her left tonsil after a potato chip poked the back of her throat and caused a sharp pain. She sees her doctor to check if she has a strep throat but instead, a biopsy of her swollen tonsils reveals she has throat cancer.
A Washington woman discovered she had a cancerous tumor after a potato chip poked the back of her throat. If not for the fortunate accident, she would have remained unaware of her condition until the cancer has progressed.
Kristine Moore has been snacking on Ruffles potato chips in the past two decades. Last February, she felt a sharp pain when a chip poked the back of the throat while snacking.
When her husband looked inside her mouth to see what caused the pain, he discovered that her tonsils looked red and swollen.
Moore saw a doctor the next day, expecting she was about to have a cold. She had a strep throat test, which is used to determine if a sore throat patient has a bacterial infection in the throat and tonsils.
When her strep throat test came back negative, she had her swollen tonsil biopsied as per her doctor's advice. They discovered that she had squamous cell carcinoma on her left tonsil.
According to her doctors, the throat cancer was caught in its early stages. She is scheduled to start her chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
"The potato chip was a blessing in disguise. I probably wouldn't have found out another year," said Moore.
'Throat cancer' is a general term used to describe several types of cancers that start in the tonsils, throat (pharynx) or voice box (larynx).
Throat cancer symptoms can include changes in voice such as difficulty in speaking or hoarseness, difficulty in swallowing, cough, ear pain, a sore that doesn't heal, weight loss and a sore throat. Experts advise seeing a doctor when patients experience recurring symptoms.
Several factors affect the risk of developing throat cancers including tobacco use, poor diet or lack of sufficient intake of vegetables and fruits, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and the human papillomavirus (HPV).
The cancer stage and location dictate the type of treatment for the disease. Several options include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted drug therapy and surgery.
Moore's throat cancer diagnosis was linked to her long-term tobacco use. She said that she quit smoking after she was diagnosed with the disease.
