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CC BY 4.0 · Journal of Health and Allied Sciences NU 2023; 13(04): 587-590
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1760440
Case Report

Sarcomatoid Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Vocal Cord: An Uncommon Malignancy

Raveena Prasad
1   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, KS Hegde Medical Academy, Nitte (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, Karnataka, India
,
Vadisha Bhat
1   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, KS Hegde Medical Academy, Nitte (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, Karnataka, India
,
Rajeshwary Aroor
1   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, KS Hegde Medical Academy, Nitte (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, Karnataka, India
,
Kishan Prasad Hosapatna Laxminarayana
2   Department of Pathology, KS Hegde Medical Academy, Nitte (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, Karnataka, India
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Abstract

Sarcomatoid squamous cell carcinoma is a rare variant of laryngeal carcinoma, which comprises 1.3% of all laryngeal malignancies. It is mainly seen in elderly individuals, with smoking and alcohol being common risk factors. The tumor is most common on true vocal cords; hence, patients especially present with dysphonia. We present a case of an elderly male patient who presented with dysphonia due to a vocal cord lesion. During microlaryngoscopy, a firm, exophytic lesion with a narrow stalk was attached to the anterior one-third of the right vocal cord, excised, and sent for histopathology. Histopathology was suggestive of sarcomatoid squamous cell carcinoma. The patient was successfully treated with radiotherapy. We conclude that benign-appearing laryngeal lesions need to be evaluated and histopathological examination to be performed so that rare entities such as sarcomatoid carcinoma, which mimics benign lesions, can be managed appropriately.

Keywords

sarcomatoid - spindle cell - vocal cords - microlaryngoscopy - radiotherapy


Publication History

Article published online:
16 March 2023

© 2023. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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