October - December 2022, Volume 18, Issue 4

Soczomski P, Szczesniak-Klusek B, Jurecka-Lubieniecka B, Krajewska J, Jarzab B

Atypical Carcinoid of the Larynx and Multifocal Metastases

Acta Endo (Buc) 2022, 18 (4): 502-507
doi: 10.4183/aeb.2022.502

Neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) of the larynx is the most frequent neuroendocrine neoplasm of the head and neck and the most common nonsquamous carcinoma of the larynx. It usually occurs in the supraglottic area, in smoking men. We report a case of a 58-year-old woman with no history of smoking who presented with an atypical carcinoid, arising in the right piriform sinus of the larynx. During the 5-year follow-up, the patient developed metastases in the lymph nodes, palatine tonsils, parotid glands, breasts and skin. For this reason the patient underwent several surgical procedures, radiotherapy and eventually was qualified for chemotherapy. Our case shows that NEC of the larynx can have an atypical presentation. The diagnosis requires careful pathological evaluation with immunohistochemistry and a wide spectrum of imaging. The serum concentration of chromogranin A seems to be not useful in the diagnosis and follow-up of laryngeal NEC.

Keywords: neuroendocrine neoplasm, neuroendocrine cancer, atypical carcinoid, metastases, case report, laryngeal tumor.

Correspondence: Przemyslaw Soczomski MD, “Maria Sklodowska-Curie” National Research Institute of Oncology, Gliwice Branch, Dept. of Nuclear Medicine and Endocrine Oncology, 15 Wybrzeze Armii Krajowej, Gliwice, Upper Silesia, 44-102, Poland, E-mail: przemsocz@gmail.com