Laryngeal cancer

Laryngeal cancer is the 11th most common form of cancer and second most common malignancy of the upper aerodigestive tract in men.

Smoking and alcohol use are frequently associated with development of the disease.

Hoarseness, dysphonia, sore throat, difficulty swallowing, referred otalgia, vocal cord lesions on indirect laryngoscopy, and neck mass/adenopathy that persists for >3 weeks are sentinel signs that should be evaluated by an otolaryngologist.

Treatment is dictated by TNM stage.

Modalities include surgical resection, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or any combination of these.

Goals of therapy are eradication of cancer with organ preservation.

Speech therapy is appropriate after surgery, radiation therapy, chemoradiotherapy, or any combination of these modalities.

Overall mortality has not changed in nearly 30 years, but the rate of organ preservation has significantly improved.

Laryngeal cancer most often refers to squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx. Other malignant tumors of the larynx (e.g., sarcoma, lymphoma, neuroendocrine tumors) are extremely rare in comparison. This disease consists of malignant tumors of mucosal origin that originate from the supraglottis, glottis, and subglottis. Specifically, this encompasses the following structures: the epiglottis, the vocal cords (false or true), and the area immediately below the vocal cords extending below the glottis.