Tumour, laryngeal

Squamous cell carcinoma

This is the most common laryngeal neoplasm (more than 90%). They arise from the mucosa and as such are usually visible at the surface, but their submucosal extension can not be evaluated by endoscopic examination alone. Sometimes they develop entirely beneath an intact mucosal lining. Cross-sectional imaging findings are of great importance in the staging of these tumours. Also, see squamous cell carcinoma head and neck.

According to the place of origin, laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma is divided into glottic, supraglottic and subglottic cancer (see glottic cancer; supraglottic cancer; subglottic cancer).

Nonsquamous cell tumours

A variety of benign tumours may involve the larynx (e.g. haemangioma head and neck, lipoma, glomus tumour), all of them being rare. Nonsquamous cell carcinomas (e.g. adenocarcinoma head and neck) are rarely encountered in the larynx. Nonepithelial cell malignancies are also rarely seen in the larynx (e.g. chondrosarcoma head and neck and other types of sarcoma, non Hodgkin lymphoma head and neck manifestation). These nonsquamous tumours typically grow beneath the laryngeal mucosa and are therefore more difficult to diagnose clinically than squamous cell carcinomas. Although only occasionally a tissue-specific diagnosis is possible, the cross-sectional imaging findings are important in defining the disease extent and in directing the clinician to the optimal transmucosal biopsy site.

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