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laryngeal carcinoma
Laryngeal carcinoma is one of the most common head and neck tumours with an
annual incidence of approximately 1 per 100,000. It should be suspected in any
patient with hoarseness of the voice for three weeks or longer until proven otherwise.
Men are affected more often than women but during the last decade, the number
of cases in women has increased such that they now account for about 20% of cases.
Most patients are elderly and almost always, are smokers. Other features
of laryngeal cancer include: - sixty percent of tumours occur in the
glottis and present early with dysphonia
- glottic cancer has the most favourable
prognosis of all forms of laryngeal cancer, as people tend to seek medical advice
for chronic hoarseness, which is the most common early symptom
- other
symptoms of laryngeal cancer may include pain or problems with swallowing (dysphagia).
There can also be a lump in the neck, sore throat, earache, or a persistent cough.
- virtually
all cancer of the larynx is squamous cell carcinoma.
- if detected early,
the prognosis is excellent with a 90% 5 year cure rate
- overall survival
rates are better than for oral or pharyngeal cancer, with nearly two-thirds of
patients surviving for five years (2)
Reference: -
Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer (April 2000). NHS Executive.
- NICE
(2004). Improving the outcomes in head and neck cancers - the manual
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