-Dr.Dianne McCallister, Chief Medical Officer at Porter Adventist Hospital

It was announced this week that actor Michael Douglas has been diagnosed with throat cancer and will be undergoing radiation treatments to his throat. The news has many of us wondering - what is throat cancer? How do you get it? How do you know if you have it?

Throat cancer is usually what we call squamous cell cancer - squamous cells are the flat cells that line the mouth and throat.

It can occur in the pharynx - which is the back of the throat and down near the tonsils, or it can be laryngeal cancer - which is cancer in the voice box.

Both of these cancers are in the same family as mouth cancers, which is what your dentist checks for when he/she looks under your tongue and at your cheeks.

Like many cancers, the symptoms will sound like things you may have had in the past - because they are related to irritation of the area.

The things to watch for include:

Funny high pitched breath sounds
Hoarseness that does not resolve after 1-2 weeks
Chronic cough - lasting for more than 2 weeks - particularly if you cough up blood
Sore throat and/or ear pain that lasts more than 2 weeks
Neck pain or swelling in the neck
Unexplained weight loss

It is important to remember that these symptoms mean you need a doctor to check - by looking in your throat with a special instrument - it does not mean that you for sure have cancer.

Like so many cancers, people who smoke, use chewing tobacco, or drink heavily are more likely to get this cancer.

The combination of tobacco use and alcohol raises the risk even further.

Men are 10 times more likely to develop this than women, and most occur in people over the age of 50 - but it can occur earlier.

Other things that are being studied include the relation of HPV - human papilloma virus and throat cancers.

The treatment for this type of cancer depends on where the tumor is located, how large it is, what type of cells it contains, and whether or not it has spread. However, most tumors are treated by some combination of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.

The good news is that about 90 percent of the tumors that are caught early can be cured. If it has spread, 50-60 percent can be cured.

Teamwork is very important in treating all head and neck cancers. At Porter, we have a specialized team that works on head & neck cancers, to create the best outcome and support for the patient and their families.

The team approach is very important because the surgery can be disfiguring and interfere with some basic activities such as eating/ swallowing or speaking, and so intense team work to keep people well nourished, providing psychological support and doing rehabilitation are key to success for the patient.

Avoiding smoking/chewing tobacco and limiting or avoiding alcohol consumption are the best preventative measures.

Dr. McCallister is on 7NEWS at 11 a.m. every Wednesday. If you have a topic or question you would like her to discuss, email 11am@thedenverchannel.com.