Is laryngeal or voice box cancer treatment effective?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 62-year-old male experiencing difficulty breathing and disturbed sleep, which leads to breathlessness, coughing, and occasional loss of voice over a long period.

My recent CT report shows:

Extensive osteophytes (bone spurs) from C3 to C6 vertebrae with bridging, severe degenerative changes, and mild vertebral height reduction suggestive of osteoporosis. No signs of metastatic cancer or vertebral collapse.
Intervertebral discs from C3 to C7 show marked degeneration and vacuum phenomena.
The oropharynx and nasopharynx appear normal with no masses.
Paranasal sinuses and mastoid air cells are normal.
Brain and skull structures appear normal.
CT shows an extensive minimally enhancing laryngeal mass causing severe narrowing of the airway (supraglottic and glottic stenosis) with early extension below the vocal cords. This may indicate laryngeal cancer.
ENT evaluation with laryngoscopy and biopsy is recommended for a definitive diagnosis.

I am worried about my condition.

Will I get better with treatment? What are the expected outcomes?

Kindly advise.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Thank you for your query.

I understand your concern.

According to the reports, you have a laryngeal mass with glottic to supraglottic extension, and you have already been tracheostomized. The histopathological report (attachment removed to protect the patient's identity) suggests evidence of invasive carcinoma. You should do well. Laryngeal malignancies have a very good prognosis with appropriate treatment, surgery, and chemoradiation. Currently, many prostheses help in providing an alternative form of speech production post-surgery. I suggest you follow up with the following details.

1. Is a PET-CT (positron emission tomography - computerized tomography) scan performed?

2. What is your current treatment plan?

I hope this has helped you.

Kindly revert in case of further queries.

Answer 2

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Since three subsites of your larynx have cancer, invasive surgery will be necessary to have a good quality of life. A total laryngectomy will be performed, removing the whole larynx with neck node dissection (if nodes are involved). It is a major surgery done under general anesthesia, and the surgical procedure usually takes four to six hours; the cost depends on your location and hospital. You will recover completely in a month's time. There is always a risk of loss of voice, which a voice prosthesis (tracheoesophageal prosthesis) can solve. Once a voice prosthesis is fitted, you may require training by a speech pathologist to get good phonation.

I hope this has helped you.

Thank you.