Laryngeal Cancer
Cancer of the voice box — causes, warning signs, and treatment options including voice-preserving surgery.
What is Laryngeal Cancer?
Laryngeal cancer is a malignant tumour of the larynx — the voice box. It is divided by location: glottic (involving the vocal cords), supraglottic (above the cords), and subglottic (below the cords). Glottic cancer is the most common and has the best prognosis because it causes early hoarseness, prompting earlier diagnosis.
Tobacco and alcohol are the primary risk factors. Laryngeal cancer is significantly more common in men and in patients with a long smoking history.
Warning Signs
Hoarseness lasting more than 3 weeks is the cardinal symptom of glottic cancer — and should always be investigated with a laryngoscopy. Other symptoms include a persistent sore throat, difficulty swallowing, a lump in the neck, ear pain (referred), and breathlessness or noisy breathing (stridor) in advanced disease.
Hoarseness in a smoker lasting more than 3 weeks requires laryngoscopy. Do not assume it is laryngitis — early detection is the difference between voice-preserving treatment and laryngectomy.
Treatment
Early-stage glottic cancer (T1–T2) can be treated with transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) or radiotherapy, achieving cure rates above 90% while preserving the voice. TORS (transoral robotic surgery) is used for supraglottic cancers.
Advanced laryngeal cancer may require partial or total laryngectomy — removal of the voice box. After total laryngectomy, patients breathe through a stoma in the neck and learn to speak using a tracheoesophageal voice prosthesis or other techniques.
For detailed information about laser laryngeal surgery, visit drnarayana.in/laser-laryngeal-surgery
Dr. Narayana Subramaniam
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