Prostate cancer metastatic to the larynx: a case report

Prostate cancer, which is the most common cancer among men, rarely metastasizes to the neck. We report a case of prostatic carcinoma that metastasized to the larynx in a 71-year-old man who presented with hoarseness and shortness of breath. Computed tomography (CT) detected a 2.9 × 3.1 × 2.6-cm mass that extended from the cricoid and arytenoid cartilages into the superior trachea. Findings on histopathology and immunohistochemistry of the laryngeal tumor were consistent with a metastasis of the patient's earlier prostate cancer. CT of the chest later detected a soft-tissue mass in the right paraspinal area and other thoracic pathology that represented metastatic disease. The patient was treated with palliative radiation therapy. As androgen deprivation therapy continues to increase the life expectancy of prostate cancer patients, detection of distant metastases will likely increase, as well. Urogenital cancer metastatic to the head and neck should be considered in the differential diagnosis of laryngeal masses.