[A laryngeal cancer in pregnancy]

The case of a 33-year-old pregnant female with a large tumor of the larynx is presented. At initial clinical examination the patient presented with a history of painful swelling of her left neck and hoarseness that had persisted for more than 6-months. The pregnancy was in its 28th week. A large squamous cell carcinoma of the left vocal cord was found that had spread into the left pyriform sinus and infiltrated soft tissues of the thyroid cartilage. The simultaneous occurrence of laryngeal cancer and pregnancy was associated with much concern, since decisions regarding treatment of the mother had possible direct consequences for the foetus. In particular, close interdisciplinary cooperation was required between the otorhinolaryngologist, obstetrician and anesthesiologist. This resulted in the birth of a healthy child and a happy mother after laryngectomy. However, the size of the tumor allowed no disease-free survival for more than one year.