Small cell carcinoma of the larynx: results of therapy

Small cell carcinoma is a rare malignant tumor of the larynx. Since this lesion was first described, only 58 cases have been reported in the literature. Between December 1985 and March 1992, five patients with small cell carcinoma of the larynx were treated at the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau in Barcelona, Spain. One patient was treated with radiation therapy alone, three patients with chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and one patient with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Local and distant control was achieved in only one patient who was observed for 12 months after radiation therapy. Four patients died, one of local disease without distant metastasis at 6 months following treatment, one of local and distant disease at 53 months after radiation therapy, and two of distant metastasis without local disease at 22 and 36 months following treatment. In spite of the fact that only one of the five patients presented in this series is alive and free of disease 12 months following treatment, recent published information suggests that chemotherapy and radiotherapy are currently the most effective form of therapy for small cell carcinoma of the larynx.