An easily misinterpreted diagnosis of laryngeal tumor-atypical carcinoid

Non-squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a rare cancer in the larynx. Although atypical carcinoid tumor is the most common one, it is frequently unrecognized. We present a 55-year-old man with laryngeal atypical carcinoid tumor in the supraglottic region with initial manifestation of neck metastases. Two diagnostic biopsies revealed malignancy of different cell origins. The final pathologic report confirmed this diagnosis after the patient received total laryngectomy and radical neck dissection later. He received post-operative radiotherapy and was disease-free after a 19-month follow-up. We discuss this tumor with particular reference to the difficulty in distinguishing this tumor from other tumors of the larynx. The accurate pathological identification of this tumor is essential for treatment and prognosis.