Persistent sore throat may be a warning sign for laryngeal cancer, study suggests

Persistent sore throat, particularly when combined with other apparently low risk symptoms, is a previously overlooked clinical risk factor for cancer of the larynx, a UK case control study in UK general practice1 has found.

“This research matters. When the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance for cancer investigation was published there was no evidence from GP practices to guide this—nor to inform GPs,” said study author Willie Hamilton, from the University of Exeter Medical School, UK.

“These results expand current NICE guidance by identifying new symptom combinations that are associated with laryngeal …