Abstract
Neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) is rare in the head and neck region, but such tumors show high-grade malignancy. We report a patient who presented with hoarseness of voice, which was found to be attributable to right vocal cord paralysis, after radiation therapy for left vocal cord squamous cell carcinoma. The patient had cervical lymph node enlargement with a thyroid tumor, and fine needle aspiration biopsy was suspected thyroid papillary carcinoma. We performed thyroid lobectomy and neck dissection. The right vocal cord paralysis was found to have been caused by a metastatic neuroendocrine carcinoma to the cervical lymph nodes. However, the site of the primary neuroendocrine carcinoma could not be detected. After 9 years, the patient presented with dyspnea, and the primary neuroendocrine carcinoma was found in the subglottic region. Total laryngectomy was performed. At present, 2 years since the total laryngectomy, the patient has lung metastasis, controlled by chemotherapy. Patients with “primary unknown NEC” in the head and neck region, should be followed up carefully, especially those with laryngeal regions.
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