CLINICAL REVIEW David W. Eisele, MD, Section Editor NEUROENDOCRINE NEOPLASMS OF THE LARYNX: AN OVERVIEW Alfio Ferlito, MD, DLO, DPath, FRCS, FRCSEd, FRCSGlasg, FRCSI, FHKCORL, FDSRCS, FRCPath, FASCP, IFCAP,1 Carl E. Silver, MD,2 Carol R. Bradford, MD,3 Alessandra Rinaldo, MD, FRCSI1 1 Department of Surgical Sciences, ENT Clinic, University of Udine, Udine, Italy. E-mail:
[email protected] 2 Departments of Surgery and Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York 3 Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan Accepted 24 March 2009 Published online 17 June 2009 in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/hed.21162 proven to be of a little benefit. Paragangliomas are treated by Abstract: Neuroendocrine neoplasms of the larynx are local excision or partial laryngectomy. rare but are the most common nonsquamous tumors of this It is difficult to determine the valid survival statistics for typical organ. In the past, there has been considerable confusion carcinoids because of their rarity and confusion in the literature about the nature and classification of these neoplasms, but the with their atypical counterparts. They have a greater tendency to current consensus is that there are 4 different types of laryn- metastasize, and thus a worse prognosis than was previously geal neuroendocrine tumors composed of paraganglioma, typi- believed. Atypical carcinoid tumors have a 5-year survival rate of cal carcinoid, atypical carcinoid tumor, and small cell approximately 50%, which decreases with time. The prognosis of neuroendocrine carcinoma. Carcinoids and small cell neuroen- small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the larynx is dismal, with 5- docrine carcinomas are epithelial neoplasms, whereas para- year survival rates of 5%.