Patterns of Care and Outcomes in Verrucous Carcinoma of the Larynx Treated in the Modern Era

Laryngeal verrucous cell carcinoma

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To summarize the recent literature on epidemiology, clinical findings, treatment, and survival of laryngeal verrucous cell carcinoma (LVC).

RECENT FINDINGS

Epidemiological studies report that LVC accounts for 1-3% of all laryngeal cancers. The incidence is decreasing, while most patients are male individuals and smokers. LVC are commonly detected in early stages because they are more frequently located in the glottic region. Tobacco, alcohol overuse, and, possibly, human papilloma virus are the main contributing factors. Recent studies confirm that surgery is the primary therapeutic approach with better prognosis when compared with other treatment modalities. Surgery alone is associated with 86.8% disease-free and 80.3% overall survival rates, while metastases are anecdotal.

SUMMARY

LVC presents different clinical, pathological, and survival outcomes when compared with the classic laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Biopsies need often to be repeated before getting the most appropriate diagnosis; this supports the need of large-sample biopsy during the tumor diagnosis and staging. The glottic location of most LVC leads to detection of this lesion in its early stages, with ensuing better survival and outcomes after surgery compared with the classic form of squamous cell carcinoma. Future studies are needed to understand the biology of LVC and its related better prognostic outcomes when compared to other laryngeal malignancies.

Epidemiological, clinical and oncological outcomes of laryngeal verrucous carcinomas: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To investigate epidemiological, clinical and oncological outcomes of patients with laryngeal verrucous carcinomas (LVC).

METHODS

Two independent authors investigated PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane Library for studies dedicated to epidemiological, clinical and oncological outcomes of patients with LVC. The following outcomes were investigated with PRISMA criteria: age; gender; tobacco/alcohol consumption; HPV infection; anatomical, pathological, therapeutic and survival outcomes. Studies were analyzed for bias through a validated clinical tool.

RESULTS

Of the 212 identified articles, 15 retrospective studies and one prospective uncontrolled study met our inclusion criteria. Three studies reported findings from national databases. The males/females ratio is 9/1. Mean age was 60.3 years, which was younger compared to other laryngeal malignancies. The alcohol, cigarette overuse and the HPV status of patients were lacking in most studies. Glottis and supraglottis were the most common anatomical locations, corresponding to 78.7% and 12.4% of cases, respectively. The main therapeutic approaches consisted of surgery, radiotherapy, surgery followed by radiotherapy. Treatments reported 5-year overall survival and disease-specific survival of 86.3 and 90.8, respectively. The 5- and 10-year local control rate were 83.6 and 72.6, respectively. The 10-year disease-specific survival was 80.2. Heterogeneity between studies was found for inclusion criteria, comorbidity data, and treatments.

CONCLUSION

LVC is a rare laryngeal cancer associated with better survival and recurrence outcomes than laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. The role of radiotherapy in the treatment regimen needs to be investigated in future prospective controlled studies.