Chondrosarcoma of the larynx

Cartilaginous tumors of the larynx are rare, and of those reported, most are chondromas. To date, approximately 157 cartilaginous tumors of the larynx have been reported, but only 37 have been chondrosarcomas. A review of the records of the past 25 years (1948-1974) of the Johns Hopkins University Hospital and the Greater Baltimore Medical Center was made and revealed only two previous cartilaginous tumors, both chondromas. A case of an exceptionally large chondrosarcoma of the larynx which appeared as a neck mass invading the thyroid cartilage in a patient with a six-month history of hoarseness is presented. A complete review of the literature was made which shows that most chondrosarcomas occur in middle-aged males originating most often from the posterior cricoid lamina, next from the thyroid cartilage. Misdiagnosis has been a problem with low-grade tumors, and although wide local excision has been stated as being the treatment of choice, the authors emphasize the need for more aggressive surgery because of the high recurrence rate discovered in the literature.