Basaloid squamous carcinoma of the larynx. A potential diagnostic pitfall

Basaloid squamous carcinoma is a rare variant of squamous cell carcinoma. It is frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage with metastases. Histologically, it is identical to basaloid carcinoma at other anatomical sites. Some authors suggest that it may be associated with second primary tumors. Others implicate the Epstein-Barr and human papilloma viruses. All reports but one warn of its aggressive biological behavior. Our case concerns a 52-year-old man who had a small lesion in his right cord. Biopsy of the lesion was performed twice, and conventional squamous cell carcinoma was diagnosed; the patient returned 2 months later with progressed metastatic disease. The patient underwent a laryngectomy and a complete clinical and immunohistochemical investigation. Basaloid squamous carcinoma is a totipotential neoplasm with a grave prognosis. It can be misdiagnosed; therefore, the authors would like to emphasize the significance of this condition in comparison to conventional squamous cell carcinoma, and we provide a review of the relevant recent literature.