Aim: The aim of the presented study was to examine the possibility of assessing the advancement of laryngeal cancer by ultrasound (USG) in patients qualified for laryngectomy.
Material and methods: Ultrasound examination of the larynx was performed in 25 patients before the planned surgery. The staging of larynx tumor was evaluated according to the guidelines of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC). Laryngectomy was performed eventually in 22 patients. The results of histopathological examination of the excised larynx and lymph nodes were compared with the results obtained by ultrasound examination performed prior to surgery using McNemar test to estimate the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the method.
Results: The evaluation of tumor location with ultrasound was appropriate in all patients in the presented study. The accuracy of staging tumor advancement was 81% for USG (18/22). The sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound in detecting infiltration of paraglottic space was 91.7% and 83.3%, respectively, and in detecting subglottic infiltration - 100% and 95.2%, respectively. The sensitivity of ultrasound in the assessment of preepiglotic space infiltration and invasion of the laryngeal cartilage was 75% and specificity - 100% and 88.9%, respectively. The sensitivity of ultrasound in the assessment of extralaryngeal infiltration was 50% and the specificity 100%.
Conclusions: Ultrasound can provide a valuable complement to laryngoscopy and tomography in patients with laryngeal cancer. It enables the real-time evaluation of cancer advancement before planned surgery. Moreover, it can also be used in screening.