The esophagus, a tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach, is just behind the trachea and the larynx. The openings of the esophagus and the larynx are very close together in the throat. When we swallow, a flap called the epiglottis moves down over the larynx to keep food out of the windpipe. Cancer is a group of more than 100 different diseases. They all affect the body s basic unit, the cell.
Cancer occurs when cells become abnormal and divide without control or order.
Like all other organs of the body, the larynx is made up of cells. Normally, cells divide to produce more cells only when the body needs them. This orderly process helps keep us healthy. If cells keep dividing when new cells are not needed, a mass of extra tissue forms. This mass of tissue, called a growth or tumor, can be benign or malignant.