Easy-to-miss throat cancer symptoms everyone needs to know – as Batman star Val Kilmer dies 10 year after being diagnosed
Hollywood star Val Kilmer — famed for iconic roles in Top Gun, Batman and The Doors — has died at 65 after a long health battle.
His daughter Mercedes Kilmer, whom he shared with ex-wife Joanne Whalley, revealed he passed from pneumonia in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
The screen icon was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and underwent surgery, including a tracheotomy which significantly impacted his ability to speak.
He was later declared cancer free.
But on several occasions he had spoken publicly about the impact the disease and his subsequent cancer treatment had on his health.
Kilmer underwent both radiotherapy and chemotherapy as well as a tracheostomy — a procedure to create an artificial hole in this neck to help him breathe.
The latter permanently damaged his vocal cords and forever altered his speaking voice.
Throat cancer is not a medical term, with doctors instead distinguishing cancers that develop in this part of the body into two main types.
Hollywood star Val Kilmer — famed for iconic roles in Top Gun, Batman and The Doors — has died at 65 after a long health battle
The actor died from pneumonia in Los Angeles on Tuesday; pictured in a 1986 still from Top Gun
The latter permanently damaged his vocal cords and consequentially forever altered his speaking voice; seen with rumored ex Angelina Jolie in 2004
These are cancers of the larynx, the voice box, and those of the pharynx — a hollow, muscular tube inside the neck that starts behind the nose and opens into the larynx and windpipe.
Cancers that affect the head and neck are the eighth most common form overall in the UK, although they are two to three times more common in men than in women.
About 12,500 new cases are diagnosed each year, according to Cancer Research UK, and incidences are on the rise.
The disease is also estimated to claim the lives of around 4,000 people every year.
Doctors have recently warned they are seeing throat cancer cases in ‘much younger patients’.
A report in October revealed hundreds more people are dying from the disease than before the Covid pandemic with almost a 50 per cent increase in cases since 2013.
Smoking, alcohol and human papillomavirus (HPV) — a normally harmless virus that is spread sexually and through skin contact — are the primary causes.
But the symptoms of throat cancer depend on the specific type you have. Here, MailOnline reveals the key warning signs of the disease.
His daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, 33, whom he shared with ex-wife Joanne Whalley, confirmed his passing to the New York Times; Mercedes and Val in Los Angeles in 2019
For many people the first noticeable symptom is a sore throat, but experts warn an earache is a less well-known warning sign
A hoarse voice
According to Cancer Research UK, a croaky or hoarse voice is one of the most common symptoms of the cancer.
But many other things can cause a hoarse voice, such as a cold, shouting too much or laryngitis — inflammation of the larynx.
Smoking can also make your voice sound more croaky because it irritates the mucous membranes which line the throat.
Anyone noticing they have had a hoarse voice for more than three weeks is urged to speak to their GP.
It hurts to swallow
Struggling to swallow food is another common symptom.
Some people report that it feels like something is stuck in their throat or that their food is sticking to it.
Others may notice a burning sensation when swallowing.
However, Cancer Research UK also warns that seeing a lump or swelling on your neck is also a sign to visit a doctor.
He rocketed to stardom as Tom Cruise’s co-star in the smash 1986 hit Top Gun (1986), playing naval aviator Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky
Despite his permanently damaged voice, he made a brief return to the screen in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick (pictured)
A cough that does not go away
Another common symptom of the disease includes a persistent cough.
Also known as a chronic cough, this often means a cough that lasts longer than eight weeks.
Kilmer had previously detailed how he was unaware he had throat cancer until one day he coughed up ‘coagulated blood’ and called for an ambulance before passing out.
He then woke up in a Santa Monica hospital after an emergency tracheotomy for throat cancer.
Lump in the neck
In some throat cancer patients, a lump in the neck can be the first sign of the disease.
A lump can signal various conditions, commonly swollen lymph nodes due to an infection.
Yet, medics say if the lump grows in size or feels hard, it fails to go away or is painful or tender to touch, it should be checked out immediately by a health professional.
When a lump in the neck is accompanied by other symptoms such as fatigue or difficulty swallowing, medical attention should also be sought.
The screen icon was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and underwent surgery, including a tracheotomy which significantly impacted his ability to speak
Shortness of breath
If the cancer is located below the vocal cords, it can lead patients to feel breathless, have more noisy breathing and suffer from a persistent cough.
In some cases people may have a cough that doesn’t go away or their breathing may become more labored or noisy.
But in any case shortness of breath is a serious symptom that should not be ignored, Cancer Research warns.
‘It can be tempting to put changes to your body down to getting older or another health condition,’ says Maxine Lenza, health information officer at Cancer Research UK.
‘But it’s important to tell your doctor if you notice anything that’s not normal for you, or isn’t going away.
‘In most cases it won’t be cancer, but if it is, finding it at an early stage can make a real difference.’
Kilmer had previously detailed how he was unaware he had throat cancer until one day he coughed up ‘coagulated blood’ and called for an ambulance before passing out. Pictured, Kilmer in 1993 film Tombstone
Unexplained weight loss
Losing weight is a common sign of many types of cancer and very unlikely to be the only sign of laryngeal cancer.
This symptom can be a result of eating less, due to pain or difficulty swallowing food.
If you unintentionally lose more than five per cent of your normal body weight, or more than 10lbs (4.5 kg) in less than a year, you should consult your doctor, experts advise.
Dr Anthony Cunliffe, a GP and national lead medical advisor at Macmillan said: ‘We would want anyone who’s got a reduced appetite or trouble eating which is persistent to go early to their GP and especially with unintended weight loss as it can be a symptom of late stage cancer.’
However, it could also be caused by cachexia.
Cachexia, also known as wasting syndrome, is a potential cancer symptom and causes extreme loss of muscle and fat, according to Cancer Research UK.
People with early-stage cancers don’t usually get cachexia. But up to four in five of people with advanced cancer develop some degree of cachexia, the charity explained.
In cancer, it’s thought to be driven by inflammation.
That’s because inflammation can promote muscle wastage and a tumour can take energy away from the rest of the body.
Inflammation has also been linked to muscle loss because it causes protein to be broken down faster than it is being made. That’s because cancer can damage the mitochondria, the part of the cell responsible for converting nutrients into energy.
