Cancer Of The Larynx

The larynx contains the vocal cords, which vibrate to make sound when air is directed against them. The sound echoes through the pharynx, mouth and nose to make a persons voice. The muscles in the pharynx, face, tongue and lips help people form words with sounds to make them understandable. Symptoms of laryngeal cancer include a persistent sore throat, pain when swallowing, change in voice, hoarseness in the voice, pain in the ear or a lump in the neck. The larynx can be observed with a lighted mirror but is usually examined with a laryngoscope, which is a lighted tube.

Laryngeal cancer is diagnosed by taking a small piece of tissue (biopsy) from the suspected cancer through a laryngoscope. This tissue is evaluated under the microscope to determine if cancer is present. A laryngoscope is used to visualize the mouth, throat, larynx and upper esophagus. A thorough examination is necessary, even if the primary cancer is obvious, because approximately six percent of cases involve a second primary cancer. The incidence of new cancers in patients with laryngeal cancer is not linked to the site, size, staging or grade of differentiation of the index cancer. The size and extent of spread of cancer (stage) at the time of diagnosis predicts outcome. Early stage cancers of the larynx may be treated effectively with surgery and/or radiation therapy while more advanced stages with spread to lymph nodes in the neck are often treated together with other head and neck cancers on clinical trials. The goal of therapy is to eradicate the cancer while preserving speech. Surgery and/or radiation therapy is highly effective in the treatment of early Stage I-II laryngeal cancers with minimal to moderate effects on speech. However, 30 to 50 percent or more of patients present with advanced local, regional and/or metastatic disease requiring multi-modality treatment. Despite aggressive therapy, only 30 to 50 percent of patients with advanced laryngeal cancer live three years or more.