Supraglottic versus glottic laryngeal cancer: epidemiological and pathological aspects

Between 1979 and 1988, 432 cases of previously untreated laryngeal cancers were histologically diagnosed at the Institute of Pathological Anatomy of the University of Trieste. Of these cases, 192 were supraglottic and 182 glottic cancers. The overall crude incidence was 31.060/0000 in males and 2.290/0000 in females, with a male/female ratio of 10.2:1 for supraglottic cancers vs. 20.4:1 for glottic cancers. Our incidence values for laryngeal cancer, and supraglottic lesions in particular, are similar to those recorded in France, Spain and other areas of Italy, i.e. in nations where wine production and consumption is very high. The 3-year adjusted survival rate was 45.7% for supraglottic and 83% for glottic cancer patients. Subjects with supraglottic cancer often had a poor prognosis because of the high frequency of cervical lymph node involvement, recurrences and visceral metastases; cancers of the aryepiglottic folds presented the worst clinical evolution.