Anterior laryngeal commissure: Histopathologic data from supracricoid partial laryngectomy

ObjectivesTo analyze histopathologic invasion of the anterior laryngeal commissure on surgical specimens from patients operated on for stage-2 squamous-cell carcinoma managed by supracricoid partial laryngectomy (SCL).Patients and methodsTwenty-five patients with previously untreated stage-2 squamous-cell carcinoma were selected. Preoperative endoscopy confirmed anterior commissure involvement; CT found no cartilage lysis. SCL was performed in all cases: 15 anterior frontal SCLs with epiglottoplasty, 8 with cricohyoidepiglottopexy, and 2 with cricohyoidopexy. Histopathology analyzed resection margins (< 1 mm, 1–5 mm, > 5 mm), cartilage extension and vascular embolism. Mean time to observation was 18 months (range, 12–36 months).ResultsResection margins were < 1 mm in 7 cases (28%), 1–5 mm in 9 and > 5 mm in 9 patients. Vascular emboli were found in 15 patients (60%). Twenty patients were free of medial thyroid cartilage involvement; 5 showed cartilage extension (20%), restricted to the internal cortical layer in 4 cases (stage T3) and transfixing in 1 (stage T4a). Mucosal extension appeared non-predictive of cartilage invasion. The T4a patient showed local laryngeal recurrence at 12 months.ConclusionsIn laryngeal commissure squamous-cell carcinoma, SCL enables pathologic analysis of the entire anterior commissure as organogenetically defined: medial thyroid wing, in which the three laryngeal regions are inserted. Microscopic cartilage invasion is poorly predicted by mucosal extension, and may affect 20% of initially T2 patients.