Biopsies are most often performed because cancer is suspected, and a top doctor tells Newsmax Health that the legendary comic may have been suffering from throat cancer when she died at age 81 on Sept. 4.

 

The raspy-voiced Rivers was even more hoarse than usual in the days leading up to her death, and she reportedly told those around her that her voice was bothering her.
 

The problems she was experiencing could have been due to aging “or it could have been a nodule, polyp, or cancer,” said Alan Oshinsky, M.D., who heads the Division of Otolaryngology at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.

 

Dr. Oshinsky, who did not treat Rivers and declined to discuss the details of her case, said that in general most vocal cord growths are benign, but doctors perform a biopsy in cases where cancer is a possibility.  

 

The symptoms of throat cancer depend on the size and location of the tumor. When cancerous tumors begin growing on the vocal cords, they almost always cause hoarseness or other changes in the voice, such as Rivers suffered.

 

Noncancerous growths can result from allergies, irritation, infection, or overuse of the voice, which is particularly common in performers such as Rivers, Dr. Oshinsky noted.

 

Throat cancer is more common in men, but the rate is rising in women. It usually occurs in people over the age of 55, and has a 60 percent five-year survival rate. Risk factors include smoking and excessive drinking.

 

Endoscopies such as Rivers was undergoing when she went into cardiac arrest are the standard diagnostic tool to investigate possible throat cancer or other vocal cord abnormalities. They involved putting a small tube down the throat with a camera that allows doctors to see possible growths.

 

Endoscopies can be performed while a patient is conscious, with only topical anesthetic used to numb the throat, said Dr. Oshinsky, who has performed some 25,000 such procedures. However, Rivers was sedated during her procedure.

 

According to reports, Rivers’ doctor became concerned with a growth seen on the performer’s vocal cords during the endoscopy and decided to take a biopsy. However, Rivers’ vocal cords began to swell during the procedure, cutting off oxygen flow and leading to cardiac arrest, news reports say. Although New York State authorities are investigating the case, there have been no allegations of wrongdoing.