Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of the Larynx; A Case Report

Abstract

A case of mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the larynx is reported and the literature is reviewed. The patient was a 74-year-old man who had the complaint of hoarseness for three yers. A biopsy from the larynx was performed and preoperative histological diagnosis was poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, total laryngectomy, right radical neck dissection and left conservative neck dissection were performed. Final pathologic diagnosis was mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the larynx. Greater than 95% of laryngeal malignancies are squamous cell carcinoma. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the larynx is very rare and only 59 cases have been reported. Our case and several other reported cases were initially incorrectly diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma. Some cases of mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the larynx may have been overlooked. © 1991, The Society of Practical Otolaryngology. All rights reserved.