Organ Preservation Strategies in Laryngeal Chondrosarcoma

Aggressive Subtypes of Laryngeal Chondrosarcoma and their Clinical Behavior: A Systematic Review

INTRODUCTION

Laryngeal chondrosarcoma (CS) is a rare indolent malignant tumor. High-grade (G3), dedifferentiated (DD), and myxoid (MY) CSs are considered more aggressive subtypes due to their metastatic potential and relatively poor outcomes. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate treatment modalities and survival outcomes in patients affected by these rarer CS subtypes.

METHODS

Papers published from January 1, 2000, to August 25, 2024, describing cases of laryngeal G3, DD, and MY CS were included.

RESULTS

A total of 38 patients (15 G3, 13 DD, and 10 MY) were selected. Cricoid cartilage was the most common site of origin. Total laryngectomy (TL) was often performed. Primary conservative approaches in 42.8% of patients were followed by loco-regional recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Aggressive subtypes of CS require a radical approach because of the higher rate of loco-regional and distant recurrences compared to low-grade CS. TL with radical intent is the most common treatment, and adjuvant therapy should be considered after careful multidisciplinary discussion.

Contemporary Surgical Approaches in Managing Laryngeal Chondrosarcoma: A Scoping Review

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this scoping review is to describe and evaluate current surgical management options for chondrosarcoma of the larynx, and to summarize these techniques with respect to the laryngeal subsite affected.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed/MEDLINE and EMBASE databases.

REVIEW METHODS

The review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews extension for Scoping Reviews.

RESULTS

Forty-one articles met eligibility criteria for inclusion in the final analysis, which included a total of 149 unique surgical cases that were analyzed based on affected laryngeal subsites of cricoid, thyroid, arytenoid, and epiglottis. Management of cricoid chondrosarcoma favored transoral endoscopic resection (TER) or transcervical laryngeal preservation surgery (TPLS), which ranged from limited tumor debulking via laryngofissure to larger operations like subtotal to total cricoidectomy with laryngeal reconstruction. Nearly all cases of arytenoid and epiglottic chondrosarcoma were successfully managed with TER techniques. Thyroid chondrosarcoma primarily affected the outer cortex of the cartilage and very rarely involved the endolaryngeal mucosa, making it very amenable to transcervical approaches to remove part of or the entire affected thyroid lamina.

CONCLUSION

Overall trends in the articles reviewed for this study suggest that more aggressive surgery and R0 resection did not lead to better overall survival, which aligns with the broader philosophical shift in treatment goals to prioritize preservation of the larynx and laryngeal function over complete oncologic resection.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

N/A.

Laryngeal chondrosarcoma, a 30-year series

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Laryngeal chondrosarcoma is a rare laryngeal pathology arising from cartilaginous structures and is predominantly found in the cricoid cartilage. This study investigates its presentation, treatment modalities and patient outcomes.

PATIENTS OR MATERIALS AND METHODS

Retrospective study of laryngeal chondrosarcoma cases followed from 1992 to 2022 in the Otorhinolaryngology department of a cancer center - Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa. Statistical analysis was made with Microsoft Excel® and SPSS®.

RESULTS

We identified 16 cases, of which two-thirds were male, with an average age of 59.6 years, and only 24% of them had a history of smoking. The commonest presentation was indolent dysphonia and/or dyspnea, and the posterior arch of the cricoid cartilage was the most affected place. Although histopathological studies after biopsy were often inconclusive, surgery emerged as the first-line of treatment for all patients. Larynx microsurgery with lesion debulking was the most frequent surgical approach (47%) followed by partial laryngectomy (24%). Neither adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) nor chemotherapy was administered in any of the cases. There was residual tumor in 23% of the cases so half of these patients were in watchful waiting while the other part underwent further microsurgery or total laryngectomy. Only one patient with recurrence received RT. Disease-specific survival rate at 1 and 5 years was 97% and 91%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Laryngeal chondrosarcoma etiology is still unknown and is effectively treated with surgery, with a generally favorable prognosis. The main concern lies in its propensity to relapse, highlighting the importance of watchful follow-up.

Case report: A laser and radiofrequency ablation in a laryngeal chondrosarcoma

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE

Chondrosarcoma is a tumor which arises from cartilage, and whose apparition can occur in any site. However, it remains rare in the larynx. Management depends on the grade and the stage of the tumor at the time of the presentation. Here is described the case of a 73-year-old man, who presented with a one-month history of dyspnea due to a low-grade (grade I) laryngeal chondrosarcoma. The tumor was successfully treated through a laser and radiofrequency ablation.

CASE REPORT

A 73-year-old man presented with dyspnea that appeared one month earlier. He underwent clinic examination and CT-scan analysis, which revealed a laryngeal lesion. Histological analysis of the lesion led to the conclusion of a low-grade chondrosarcoma. A non-surgical management was chosen during a multidisciplinary consultation meeting, to preserve laryngeal functions. The patient underwent repeated laser and radiofrequency ablation, to reduce the tumor volume. At present, there is still a mass in the area, but the patient doesn't present any other symptoms. However, he has a close follow up, in order that the signs of an early tumoral evolution are promptly detected.

CLINICAL DISCUSSION

Total laryngectomy is often used for laryngeal chondrosarcoma, but it leads to a complete loss of the laryngeal functions, among which we can quote the speaking. Thereby, it would be better for patients to find other ways of conservative management. Consequently, our case presents the success of laser and radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of a laryngeal chondrosarcoma, which allowed to protect laryngeal functions. Nevertheless, this is a non-curative method showing some limitations but improving surgery outcomes and patient quality of life.

CONCLUSION

This report highlights the importance of quick grading in primary laryngeal chondrosarcoma. In this case, localized low-grade chondrosarcoma was treated without surgery, with a successful outcome thanks to laser and radiofrequency ablation.

Laryngeal rare benign non-epithelial tumors and sarcomas emphasizing on chondrosarcomas: A literature review and a case presentation

Laryngeal rare tumors include benign and malignant tumors of epithelial, non-epithelial, or mesenchymal origin. Chondrosarcomas are the most common mesenchymal malignant tumors of the larynx. We performed a literature review (Pubmed/Medline; PRISMA 2020) to detect the frequency of published studies from 2021 to April 2024 regarding benign and malignant epithelial, non-epithelial, or mesenchymal rare tumors of the larynx, emphasizing laryngeal chondrosarcoma (LC) cases. Articles including cases discussed before 2021 were excluded and articles without available English translations. We included 154 articles investigating rare tumors of the larynx, the majority of them discussed non-epithelial or mesenchymal entities (75 %). Specifically, a high proportion of studies examined benign non-epithelial or mesenchymal tumors (79.5 %) or mesenchymal rare malignancies (72 %) of the larynx concerning epithelial tumors in the last three years. Sarcomas were discussed in 74 % of mesenchymal laryngeal malignancies and more than 50 % of rare laryngeal tumor studies, and LC was discussed in ∼50 % of laryngeal sarcoma studies. LC studies reported 174 cases, 21 % of them of high-grade LC (II), including a new case of LC presented here in the supraglottic (grade II), which showed intense staining for the S100 marker. Our study highlights the awareness of rare laryngeal tumors emphasizing non-epithelial benign tumors and laryngeal sarcomas, including chondrosarcomas, as pathologic entities of the larynx. Although the majority of LC included low-grade neoplasms, a markedness proportion of LC cases was evaluated as high-grade. Future research approaches, including a range of low and high-grade tumors, would reveal prognostic markers or therapeutic targets for LC and other rare laryngeal malignancies of non-epithelial or mesenchymal origin.

Functional or radical surgical treatment of laryngeal chondrosarcoma, analysis of survival and prognostic factors: A REFCOR and NetSarc-ResOs multicenter study of 74 cases

INTRODUCTION

Laryngeal chondrosarcoma (LCS) is a rare tumor of slow evolution whose treatment is poorly codified. For a long time, a radical treatment by total laryngectomy (TL) was proposed. More recent studies tend to propose a conservative surgical approach of the larynx. The objective of this study was to compare the overall survival (OS) of total laryngectomized patients (TL+) versus non-laryngectomized patients (TL-). The secondary objectives were to analyse the reoperation free survival (RFS), the total laryngectomy free survival (TLFS) and to identify the preoperative factors leading surgeons to propose TL.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected incident cases from the REFCOR and NetSarc-ResOs multicenter databases between March 1997 and June 2021 was conducted. A propensity score matching analysis was performed to compare the OS of TL+ and TL-patients.

RESULTS

74 patients were included. After propensity score, the 5-year OS of TL+ and TL-patients was comparable (100 %, p = 1). The 5-year RFS rate was 69.2 % (95 % CI [57.5-83.4]) and the 5-year TLFS was 61.7 % (95 % CI [50.4-75.5]). Cricoid involvement greater than 50 % (HR 3.58; IC 95 % [1.61-7.92] p < 0.001), an ASA score of 3 or 4 (HR 5.07; IC 95 % [1.64-15.67] p = 0.009) and involvement of several cartilages (HR 5.26; IC 95 % [1.17-23.6] p = 0.04) are prognostic factors for TL. Dyspnea caused by the tumour is a prognostic factor for reoperation (HR 2.59; IC 95 % [1.04-6.45] p = 0.03).

CONCLUSION

These results demonstrate that conservative treatment should be considered as first-line treatment for laryngeal chondrosarcoma.

Hemicricoidectomy with modified rotational thyro-crico-tracheal anastomosis: a newborn in the family of crico-tracheal resection and anastomosis techniques

Objective

The aim of the present study is to describe our novel surgical technique of hemicricoidectomy and reconstruction with modified rotational thyro-crico-tracheal anastomosis for the treatment of non-squamous cell subglottic tumours. The procedure has been defined as Type E crico-tracheal resection and anastomosis (CTRA) following the University of Brescia (C)TRA classification introduced elsewhere.

Methods

A detailed anatomical step-by-step dissection was reproduced and illustrated on a cadaveric laryngo-tracheal specimen. Moreover, oncological and functional outcomes of the first 5 patients who underwent Type E CTRA at our Institution between October 2016 and September 2022 are described.

Results

Three patients underwent Type E CTRA for cricoid chondrosarcoma (CS) and 2 patients for subglottic adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC). No post-operative complication was reported. All patients maintained intact oral intake and an intelligible voice at discharge. All but one patient with obstructive sleep apnoea hypopnea syndrome and lung comorbidity were successfully decannulated before discharge. At the last follow-up (April 2023), one patient experienced local recurrence of CS that was still amenable to conservative treatment by transoral debulking, while the remaining patients were free of disease.

Conclusions

With the proper indications, Type E CTRA is a feasible and effective conservative surgical technique for selected non-squamous cell subglottic tumours.

Analysis of Complications in (Crico-) Tracheal Resection Anastomosis in Adults: A Multicenter Study

OBJECTIVES

The gold standard treatments for advanced laryngotracheal stenosis (LTS) are represented by partial crico-tracheal (PCTRA) or tracheal resection and anastomosis (TRA). These procedures are potentially burdened by high postoperative complication rates. We investigated the impact of the most common stenosis and patient-related characteristics on the onset of complications in a multicentric cohort.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent PCTRA or TRA for LTS of different etiologies in three referral centers. We tested the effectiveness of these procedures, the impact of complications on the outcomes, and identified factors causing postoperative complications.

RESULTS

A total of 267 patients were included in the study (130 females; mean age, 51.46 ± 17.64 years). The overall decannulation rate was 96.4%. Altogether, 102 (38.2%) patients presented at least one complication, whereas 12 (4.5%) had two or more. The only independent predictor of post-surgical complications was the presence of systemic comorbidities (p = 0.043). Patients experiencing complications needed additional surgery more frequently (70.1% vs. 29.9%, p < 0.001), and had a longer duration of hospitalization (20 ± 10.9 vs. 11.3 ± 4.1 days, p < 0.001). Six of 102 (5.9%) patients with complications had restenosis, although this event did not occur among patients without complications.

CONCLUSION

PCTRA and TRA have an excellent success rate even when performed for high-grade LTS. However, a significant percentage of patients may experience complications associated with a longer duration of hospitalization or the need for additional surgeries. The presence of medical comorbidities was independently related to an increased risk of complications.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

4 Laryngoscope, 133:2910-2919, 2023.