The following symptoms and complaints may indicate laryngeal cancer (cancer of the larynx):
Symptoms-usually appear late
- Dysphonia (hoarseness)* – relatively early symptom in vocal fold carcinoma (see below).
- Dyspnea (shortness of breath)
- Rough voice
- Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing/swallowing).
- Cough irritation
- Feeling of pressure in the throat
- Stitches to the throat
- Lymphadenopathy (enlargement of lymph nodes)
Note: In all patients with hoarseness for more than 4 weeks, the larynx should be examined endoscopically (by endoscopy).
The localization of the laryngeal carcinoma determines the primary symptoms and their prognosis
Localization | Symptomatology | Prognosis |
Supraglottic (>30%) – located above the vocal cords. | Dysphagia | Questionable prognosis |
Glottic (>60%; vocal fold carcinoma). | Dysphonia | good prognosis |
Subglottic (circa 1%) – located below the vocal cords. | Dyspnea | poor prognosis |