Laryngeal cancer

Laryngeal cancer
Other namesCancer of the larynx, laryngeal carcinoma
Larynx cancer – endoscopic view
SpecialtyOncology, otorhinolaryngology
Deaths94,800 (2018) [1]

Laryngeal cancer or throat cancer is a kind of cancer that can develop in any part of the larynx (voice box). It is typically a squamous-cell carcinoma, reflecting its origin from the epithelium of the larynx.

The prognosis is affected by the location of the tumour. For the purposes of staging, the larynx is divided into three anatomical regions: the glottis (true vocal cords, anterior and posterior commissures); the supraglottis (epiglottis, arytenoids and aryepiglottic folds, and false cords); and the subglottis. Most laryngeal cancers originate in the glottis, with supraglottic and subglottic tumours being less frequent.

Laryngeal cancer may spread by: direct extension to adjacent structures, metastasis to regional cervical lymph nodes, or via the blood stream. The most common site of distant metastases is the lung. Laryngeal cancer occurred in 177,000 people in 2018, and resulted in 94,800 deaths (an increase from 76,000 deaths in 1990).[1][2] Five-year survival rates in the United States are 60.3%.[3]

  1. ^ a b "Larynx Cancer Factsheet" (PDF). Global Cancer Observatory. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  2. ^ Naghavi M, Wang H, Lozano R, Davis A, Liang X, Zhou M, et al. (GBD 2013 Mortality and Causes of Death Collaborators) (January 2015). "Global, regional, and national age-sex specific all-cause and cause-specific mortality for 240 causes of death, 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013". Lancet. 385 (9963): 117–171. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61682-2. PMC 4340604. PMID 25530442.
  3. ^ "SEER Stat Fact Sheets: Larynx Cancer". NCI. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2020.