What is laryngeal cancer?
Laryngeal cancer is a type of throat cancer that starts in the cells of the larynx (also called the voice box). A cancerous (malignant) tumour is a group of cancer cells that can grow into nearby tissue and destroy it. It can also spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body.
Cells in the larynx sometimes change and no longer grow or behave normally. These changes may lead to non-cancerous (benign) conditions such as laryngitis and vocal cord nodules. They can also lead to non-cancerous tumours such as papillomas.
Changes to cells of the larynx can also cause precancerous conditions. This means that the abnormal cells are not yet cancer, but there is a chance that they will become cancer if they arenʼt treated. The most common precancerous condition of the larynx is dysplasia.
But, in some cases, changes to larynx cells can cause laryngeal cancer. Most often, laryngeal cancer starts in thin, flat cells called squamous cells. These cells cover the inner lining of the larynx (called the epithelium). This type of laryngeal cancer is called squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). SCC can develop anywhere in the larynx, but the most common area is the middle of the larynx (called the glottis), which contains the vocal cords.
Rare types of laryngeal cancer can also develop. These include lymphomas, plasmacytomas and sarcomas.
The larynx
Cancerous tumours of the larynx
Precancerous conditions of the larynx
Non-cancerous tumours and conditions of the larynx
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