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Sarcoma of the larynx
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Sarcoma of the larynx is very rare in otolaryngological practice. According to the data of the German ENT oncologist O.Matsker, up to 1958 in the world press about 250 cases of this disease were published, so those 0.5% of sarcomas among all malignant tumors of the larynx, which were spoken by the French ENT oncologists M .Leroux-Robert and F.Petit, seem to be overestimated. So, as the Romanian author N.Kostnnesku (1954) writes, for 15 years (until 1964), only one case of laryngeal sarcoma was registered in his clinic.
[What causes sarcoma of the larynx?
Unlike laryngeal cancer, which in the overwhelming majority of cases occurs in people older than 40 years and predominantly in men, sarcoma of the larynx appears in people younger than 20 years and even in children, equally often in both sexes, most often localized on the vocal folds, where it is visualized in the form of a polypoid formation on the stem. Further, according to the frequency of localization, the epiglottis, the lining space, the ventricles of the larynx, the arytenoid cartilages go. Sarcoma of the larynx may be primary or secondary, spreading from neighboring anatomical formations (tongue, pharynx, trachea, thyroid gland).
Pathological anatomy of the laryngeal sarcoma
Histologically, fibrosarcomas with spindle-shaped cells, angiosarcomas, chondrosarcomas, myxosarcomas, lymphosarcomas, reticulosarcomas and melanosarcoma are identified. Cases of a combination of a sarcoma with a cancer of a larynx are described.
Symptoms of laryngeal sarcoma
Symptoms of laryngeal sarcoma are identical to those observed in laryngeal cancer, but sarcoma is characterized by a more rapid and aggressive development with early metastasis, which is particularly marked by lympho-, reticulo- and angiosarcomas. Fibrosarcomas have a slower development, they are similar in appearance to the voice fold in their clinical manifestations; however, after infiltration of surrounding tissues, they evolve very quickly and within a few months reach the stage of inoperability with extensive metastasis to the lymph nodes of the neck, mediastinum and internal organs.
What do need to examine?
Treatment of laryngeal sarcoma
Treatment of sarcoma of the larynx is surgical, based on those techniques as in laryngeal cancer, combined with subsequent radiotherapy.
What is the prognosis of the sarcoma of the larynx?
Sarcoma of the larynx has a different prognosis; it depends mainly on the stage of the disease and, to a lesser extent, on the treatment used, since in the started cases even in the most radical surgical treatment followed by radiation and chemotherapy, relapses occur in the overwhelming majority of cases.