Vocal fold cancer

Abstract

Ninety percent of vocal fold cancers take the form of squamous cell carcinoma. Since the 1980s, incidence in France has been constantly falling in males while increasing in females. The main risk factor is smoking, alcohol being less implicated than in other laryngeal or extralaryngeal locations. Vocal fold squamous cell carcinoma generally develops on healthy mucosa, although primary precancerous lesions such as leukoplakia or papillomatous keratosis are also frequent. The tumor usually originates in the non-lymphophilic mucosal free edge of the vocal fold then invades the various anatomic subunits of the larynx, acquiring lymph-node metastatic potential. Dysphonia is the first presenting symptom, initially caused by defective mucosal vibration and then by impaired mobility and finally fixation of the vocal fold. Extension, risk factor and pretreatment assessments are as in other upper-aerodigestive-tract cancer locations. The possibilities of laryngoscopic exposure and the tumor limits, however, need to be precisely determined if transoral resection is to be considered. For small tumors, surgery or exclusive radiation therapy can be suggested to the patient as part of an individual treatment plan, each having its advantages and drawbacks. Cutting-edge teams report 5-year local control rates of 85-95% in T1-class tumor and 60-90% in T2. Whatever the treatment option, smoking cessation, close surveillance and cardiovascular prevention enable screening of other oncologic locations and limit onset of the other pathologies implicated in most deaths.