Supraglottic and glottic carcinomas. clinically and biologically distinct entities?

This study aimed to examine the clinical and biological differences in 198 patients with either T1-T2 local glottic or supraglottic squamous cell carcinomas. The patients with supraglottic cancer had a poorer prognosis, as well as more advanced and histologically aggressive tumours than the patients with glottic tumours. They also had lower levels of haemoglobin and a poorer nutritional and performance status. Expression of alpha-catenin, hyaluronan, CD44, p53, p21/WAF1 and bcl-2 in the primary tumour were not associated with the site of the laryngeal carcinoma. In supraglottic tumours, the rate of spontaneous apoptosis and mitotic indices were significantly higher than in glottic tumours. The results suggest that clinical parameters including the haemoglobin level of the patient together with the tumour cell kinetics (mitotic and apoptotic rates) may contribute to the aggressive nature of supraglottic carcinoma.