Malignant mixed tumor of the larynx

Malignant mixed tumor of the larynx is a very rare neoplasm; only five cases have been reported, three in the English-language literature.

We report the case of a 69-year-old man with a 2-month history of hoarseness and a left laterocervical palpable mass.

Total laryngectomy and bilateral radical neck dissection were performed. The tumor involved the glottic and subglottic regions and thyroid cartilage and extended to the anterior side of the larynx. Microscopically, the tumor was composed of three cellular types: epithelial cells, chondrocytes, and spindle cells. The epithelial cells resembled a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, the mesenchymal cells resembled a high-grade chondrosarcoma, and the spindle cells had immunohistochemical features of myoepithelial cells. The tumor metastasized to a cervical lymph node, with the three described components. The patient died 11 months after surgery.

The lesion in this case was considered to be a malignant mixed tumor. Differences between this tumor and that of laryngeal chondrosarcoma are discussed.