Role of multidetector computed tomography in assessment of laryngeal cancer: experiences from 31 cases

Abstract

Aims. To compare the efficacy of computed tomography from endoscopic examination in diagnosing and staging laryngeal carcinoma. Methods. From February 2019 to July 2020, we conducted a retrospective study on patients with laryngeal carcinoma. After receiving a clinical diagnosis of laryngeal masses, patients underwent indirect laryngoscopy evaluation before being referred for computed tomography (CT) scans. A postimaging biopsy was undertaken via direct laryngoscopy. Imaging features of the tumor, such as size, level of invasion, and tumor staging, were analyzed. Results. The mean age was 61±11, with 90% of male patients. The risk of laryngeal cancer for those patients who were active smokers (93.5%) and alcohol consumers (67.7%). The most common symptom was hoarseness (93.5%). In CT image, more than half of the cancers were carcinoma of the glottis (29%) and two regions, supraglottis and glottis (22.6%), while the less common cancers were the subglottic (3.2%) and all three regions (9.7%) carcinoma, especially true vocal cord (67.7%) is the most common site starting carcinoma. The percentage of tumor spreading to paraglottic space and pre-epiglottic space was 50% and 30.6%, respectively. The most common stage of laryngeal cancer in CT was the T3 stage (35.5%). Compared to laryngoscopy, there is a weak agreement (Kappa=0.518) in staging in laryngeal cancer in CT. Conclusion. MDCT is better in staging of laryngeal cancer in the T3 and T4 stages as compared to laryngoscopy.