Vocal-fold leukoplakia and dysplasia. Mini-review by the French Society of Phoniatrics and Laryngology (SFPL)

I-scan combined with laryngovideostroboscopy for predicting malignancy in vocal fold leukoplakia

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated vocal fold leukoplakia using i-scan combined with laryngovideostroboscopy for risk assessment prediction.

METHODS

A total of 141 patients with 218 lesions were enrolled in this study. Morphological characteristics of leukoplakia, assessment of the vascular pattern using i-scan, and vocal fold vibratory function were analyzed.

RESULTS

The number of patients with no, mild, moderate, severe dysplasia, and invasive carcinoma were 68, 40, 17, 46 and 47, respectively. The sensitivity of morphological characteristic, vascular pattern, vibratory function and predictive model were 77.4%, 72%, 69.9%, and 82.8%, respectively. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of morphological characteristic, vascular pattern, vibratory function and predictive model were 0.771, 0.824, 0.769, and 0.923, respectively. The results of logistic regression analysis showed that rough morphological types, perpendicular vascular pattern, severe decrease and absence of mucosal waves increased the risk of malignancy (OR = 5.531, 4.973, and 16.992, respectively; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

I-scan combined with laryngovideostroboscopy can improve the differential diagnosis of low-risk and high-risk vocal fold leukoplakia.

Dysplastic Lesions of the Larynx

There have been many advancements in the clinical and histologic diagnosis of laryngeal dysplasia (LD), but diagnosis still necessitates invasive histologic evaluation. Furthermore, despite improved histologic identification of dysplastic lesions, the exact details of pathophysiologic progression and the risk of malignant transformation is still uncertain. These unknowns create a barrier to establishing an ideal grading and classification system, which prevents the establishment of a precise and consistent treatment paradigm. Identifying these gaps in knowledge serves to highlight where further studies are warranted, ideally focusing on a better understanding of the biological behavior of LD. This would ultimately allow for the creation of a reliable grading and classification system and for the formalization of management and treatment guidelines for LD.

Videolaryngoendoscopic and Stroboscopic Evaluation in Predicting the Malignancy Risk of Vocal Fold Leukoplakia

Background: Vocal fold leukoplakia (VFL), despite our knowledge of its etiopathogenetic factors, and the development of laryngeal visualization, remains a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Objective: This research aimed to explore the efficacy of clinical and morphological feature identification in videolaryngoendoscopy (VLE) using a three-tier classification, and videolaryngostroboscopy (VLS) in predicting the risk of VFL malignant transformation. Material and Methods: We examined 98 patients with VFL by flexible endoscopy under VLE and VLS. Morphological characteristics of 123 lesions including the surface, margin, and texture were assessed; then, VFL was subdivided into three types: I—flat and smooth, II—elevated and smooth, and III—rough. Based on the histopathological findings, 76 (61.79%) lesions were classified as low- and 47 (38.21%) lesions as high-grade dysplasia. Results: The inter-rater agreement between two raters evaluating the VFL in VLE was almost perfect (Cohen’s kappa = 0.826; p < 0.00; 95%CI 0.748−0.904). In ROC curve analysis, the AUC difference between Rater I and Rater II was 0.024 (0.726 vs. 0.702). In multivariate analysis, high-risk VFL was positively related to unilateral plaque localization (p = 0.003), the type III VLE classification (p = 0.013), absence of a mucosal wave (p = 0.034), and a positive history of alcohol consumption (p = 0.047). In ROC analysis, VLE had an AUC of 0.726, with a high sensitivity of 95.7% and low specificity of 40.8%. The NPV was high, at 93.9%; however, the PPV was low, at 50%. The proposed logistic regression model including features significant in multivariate analysis showed lower sensitivity (80.9% vs. 95.7%) and lower NPV (86.2% vs. 93.9%); however, the specificity and PPV were improved (73.7% vs. 40.8% and 65.5% vs. 50.0%, respectively). Conclusions: The combination of clinical history with endoscopic (plaque morphology) and stroboscopic examination (mucosal wave assessment) can fairly estimate the degree of dysplasia in VFL and thus is recommended for use in clinical settings. The findings of this study can be used to guide the decision regarding immediate biopsy or watchful waiting.

Narrow-Band Imaging in oncologic otorhinolaryngology: State of the art

OBJECTIVES

To describe the diagnostic performance of Narrow Band Imaging (NBI) combined with White Light Imaging (WLI) in the diagnosis of mucosal lesions at each location of the upper aerodigestive tract, for detection of primary tumor in case of carcinoma of unknown primary, for determination of intraoperative resection margins, and to describe its main diagnostic pitfalls.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A PubMed search was carried out according to the PRISMA method.

RESULTS

Four hundred and seventy-seven articles published between 2007 and 2020 were identified, 133 of which met the study inclusion criteria and were assessed.

CONCLUSION

The current literature seems to support the use of NBI in diagnosis and/or follow-up of (pre-)malignant head & neck tumors, and in the determination of intraoperative resection margins.