Speech Paper Essay, Research Paper

In society today a child grows up worrying about his or her looks, grades and even popularity. With maturation comes matured fears and knowledge about things going on around the globe. As one gets older, one tends to become more concerned about health related issues. Men and women might start to eat better meals and become conscious of the different diseases that exist. Men begin to annually get their prostate examined while women begin to get mammograms. However, some people are not so health conscious. Years of smoking, drinking and bad health habits usually catch up to a person. While an individual might be free of well communicated about cancers such as prostate and breast, they may not be free of one that is spoken less about, laryngeal cancer. Laryngeal cancer or cancer of the throat as some may refer to it, is a cancer much like others that can change an individuals life. If the cancer is caught in time, it can mean the difference between life and death. However with some types of treatment comes a completely new way of living and sounding.

In order to understand laryngeal cancer, one must first understand the function of the larynx. The larynx, also known as the voice box, is an organ in the anterior of the neck which plays a crucial role in speech and breathing. Because of the location of the larynx, the larynx has three important functions: The larynx controls the airflow during breathing, it protects the airway and it produces sound for speech. The larynx rests on a ring of cartilage called the cricoid. Below the cricoid are the rings of the trachea. Above the larynx is a U-shaped bone called the hyoid. The hyoid supports the larynx from above and serves an important role in moving the larynx upwards during swallowing. In the center of the larynx lie the vocal cords. The vocal cords are probably the most important part of the larynx, as they play a key role in all three functions mentioned above. The vocal cords are muscular bands covered by a thin layer called mucosa. There is a right and left cord, forming a “V” when viewed from above. At the rear portion of each vocal cord is a small structure called the arytenoid. Many small muscles are attached to the arytenoids. These muscles pull the arytenoids apart from each other during breathing, thereby opening the airway. During speech the arytenoids and therefore the vocal cords are brought close together. As the air passes by the closed vocal cords, they vibrate like reeds on a musical instrument and produce a sound. The sound is modified by our throat, tongue and lips to produce speech.