Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma at a South African referral hospital

Introduction and aim: Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is the most common tumour of the head and neck region. The aim of this study was to determine the profile of patients with laryngeal carcinoma who presented to Universitas Academic Hospital over a 6 year period and to review their management. Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study. The records of 250 patients with LSCC between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2015 were reviewed. Results: The median age at presentation was 60.1 years, with 86.8% being males. Dysphonia was present in 99.6% of patients, but there was also a high prevalence of late symptoms. Most patients (51.6%) presented with Stage IVa disease and 21.6% presented with Stage IVb disease. Nodal metastases were present in 60.4% of patients, while 4.8% had systemic metastases. There was high rate of patients who defaulted treatment and poor patient follow-up. Conclusion: Late presentation is a significant problem at our institution with 95.6% of patients who presented with stage III and stage IV tumours.