When Britney, age 45, went to the doctor, she was experiencing painful swallowing, hoarseness, swelling in the neck area, pain radiating to her ear and a sense of something sticking in the throat. Britney was a heavy smoker, who had been smoking for 30 years.

Her doctor informed her that throat cancer, also known as oropharyngeal cancer, is a malignant tumor located in the passage that connects the back of the nose with the esophagus, and it usually develops in the mucous membranes that line that passage. (If it develops from cells in the lymph glands in that area, it is called a "lymphoma.") Smoking and drinking alcohol are primary causes of throat cancer. It is more common in men than in women, and the incidence of this disease rises with age. An accurate and early diagnosis is very important if the disease is to be cured, and the larynx and vocal cords are to be spared. Radiation and surgery are the two main types of treatment for all stages of throat cancer, but clinical trials of hyperthermia (warming the tissues to kill the cancer cells) followed by radiation may be used for advanced or recurrent cases. Britney's doctor advised that she have further tests done.