Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the clinico-epidemiological and histopathological profiles of laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer. Methods This was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out over the course of 18 months in 65 patients who underwent direct laryngoscopy and biopsy, as well as additional histopathological examination, at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the Government T.D. Medical College Hospital in Alappuzha, Kerala. The study was approved by the institutional ethics committee, and the participant's written informed consent was obtained. Results Based on the TNM staging that was done after coordinating clinical and radiological results, out of the 65 cases, 48 cases were diagnosed with carcinoma larynx and 17 cases were hypopharyngeal cancers. Most cases of carcinoma supraglottis showed up in stage III (9 cases), then stage II (7 cases), stage I (5 cases), and finally stage IVA (3 cases). Compared to supraglottic cancer, glottic cancer which had 14 cases in stage I and 4 in stageII manifested at an earlier stage. There were just six cases which presented in the advanced stage, four of them were in stage III, and one in each of the stages IVA and IVB. There were six cases of carcinoma hypopharynx in stage II and six in stageIII, three cases in stages IVA, and just one case in stageI.There was one case of in-situ cancer in the hypopharynx (stage 0).All hypopharynx carcinomas had dysphagia and most had nodal metastasis.None had subglottic extension. Minor cartilage erosion seen in12%.The histological diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma was found in all of our patients. Moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma was the most often encountered histological grade followed by well differentiated and then poorly-differentiated.Prevertebral space involvement or carotid encasement were absent. Conclusion Early detection is challenging for hypopharyngeal tumors, which also have a high risk of metastasis and recurrence. Patients with cancer of the larynx and hypopharynx may have an unfavorable prognosis if they have an airway compromise necessitating a tracheostomy. The public's knowledge of the signs, risk factors, and need to seek medical care as soon as symptoms appear can help significantly reduce the morbidity and death rate from laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer.

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