Moderately differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma of the larynx

Abstract

We present a case of moderately differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma of the larynx. These tumors represent 0.6% of all laryngeal carcinomas. Histological diagnosis requires the use of immunohistochemical methods, the tumoral cells presenting positivity for epithelial markers (cytokeratin) and neuroendocrine markers (chromogranin). Clinically, their location is supraglottic and they affect mainly males between the 6th-7th decades of life. The prognosis is better than that of squamous carcinoma or adenocarcinoma. The differential diagnosis must be made with granular cell tumor and paragangliomas.