[Malignant degeneration of juvenile laryngeal papillomatosis?]

Spontaneous malignant transformation of laryngeal papillomatosis was in the past mostly negated, or the discussion in literature was rather toned down and reserved. Therefore, from a biological and prognostic point of view, HPV infection of the larynx seems to carry a different weight than a viral infection in genital region. According to general consensus, secondary, malignant transformation in juvenile papillomatosis occurs in irradiated patients and leads to the conclusion that radiation therapy of this disease is presently contraindicated. Because there is as yet no causal and curative treatment, repeated and frequent removal of papillomatous tissue by microlaryngoscopy may often be necessary to keep the airway patent.

We diagnosed and treated an advanced laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma with lymphatic metastasis in a 50-year old male. Juvenile papillomatosis had been diagnosed already at the age of five, and at the patient's last presentation 5 years ago (age 45), typical clinical and histological features of laryngeal papillomatosis had been observed. Furthermore, virus infection of the papillomatous tissue (HPV-6/11) was proved by using the technique of in-situ hybridisation. Risk factors for malignant transformation, such as smoking, alcohol or radiation, were denied by the patient.

From these aspects, a spontaneous, malignant transformation of laryngeal papillomatosis must be considered with regard to six similar observations in the German and English literature. In the reported case, a tumoural origin in the flat laryngeal mucosa in close neighbourhood to the former site of papillomas, is less probable, albeit not ruled out completely, since continuous changes from benign squamous papilloma to atypical, invasive tumour and a HPV-infection in the carcinomatous tissue could not be proved by in-situ hybridisation.