Laryngeal malignant neoplasms in children and adolescents

Molecular Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis in Pediatric Airways Tumors

Primary tumors of the airways in the pediatric population are very rare entities. For this reason, little is known about the pathogenesis of these neoplasms. Understanding the biology has different practical implications: for example, it could help in the differential diagnosis, have a prognostic significance, or may lead to the development of a targeted therapy. The aim of this article is to present the current knowledge about pediatric airways tumors, focusing on the molecular mechanisms that cause the onset and progression of these neoplasms. After a brief introduction of epidemiology and clinical presentation, the tumorigenesis of the most frequent pediatric airways tumors will be described: Juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (JORRP), Subglottic Hemangiona (SH), Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), and Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC).

Paediatric laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma: Systematic review and pooled analysis

BACKGROUND

Paediatric squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the larynx is rare; however, recent data seem to support the notion that this pathology is increasing in incidence. Although this has been the case for several decades, treatment algorithms for this patient population remain identical to those of adults.

METHODS

The study consists of a systematic review and pooled analysis of oncologic outcomes in paediatric laryngeal SCC from a comprehensive literature search on OVID MEDLINE and EMBASE.

RESULTS

The average cohort age was 12.1 years. Nine (36%) had supraglottic primaries, and 16 (64%) had glottic primaries. Treatment included unimodal and combination therapy. No significant difference in survival was noted between surgically treated and non-surgically treated patients (5-year overall survival (OS): 68.2% vs 76.2%, P = .905), even when stratified for advanced-stage and supraglottic disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Paediatric patients with laryngeal HNSCC may have different presentations and responses to therapy than their adult counterparts.

Role of ancillary techniques in profiling unclassified laryngeal malignancies

Laryngeal biopsies, contrary to biopsies from many other sites of the body, very often contain minute amounts of tumour tissue that may consist of morphologically undifferentiated tumour only. In haematoxylin- and eosin-stained sections, there may be no indicative features of what specific tumour entity that is present. In the larynx, particularly small round cell neoplasms, primary or metastatic, often cause a diagnostic dilemma and where an incorrect diagnosis can induce substantial clinical consequences for the patient (e.g., primary neuroendocrine carcinomas vs metastatic variants, certain sarcomas). If sufficient/representative material has been obtained, the application of immunohistochemistry and/or molecular techniques should in virtually every case reveal the true nature of the malignancy. In cases with sparse amount of material, and therefore a limited number of sections to be cut, a careful and thoughtful stepwise approach is necessary to ascertain a reliable diagnosis, or at least guide the clinician to the most likely diagnoses. With today's advanced and widely available technology with an abundance of markers to discriminate different tumours, the use of the term "undifferentiated" should be largely unnecessary. In the exceptional, and indeed exceedingly rare cases, when a classification is not possible, even after repeat biopsy, we suggest that the laryngeal neoplasm is better termed "unclassified malignant neoplasm" rather than "undifferentiated malignant neoplasm".

Spontaneous regression of laryngeal carcinoma in 10 year old boy: A case report and review of literature

Laryngeal carcinoma is a rare pathology in children, with only 92 cases reported. Spontaneous regression of laryngeal carcinoma is even more unique clinical event, so far only observed in adults. In this report we present an extraordinary case of a 10 year old patient with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma that underwent spontaneous regression.

Pediatric laryngeal carcinoma in a heterozygous carrier of Fanconi anemia

A case of invasive, keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx in an 8-year-old female treated with laryngectomy is presented. Perinatal exposure to human papilloma virus and constitutional heterozygosity for a FANCC mutation were identified, though FANCC heterozygosity is not known to be cancer predisposing. An additional tumor-associated mutation in NOTCH1 was also identified potentially contributing to oncogenesis. This case illustrates an exceedingly rare type of cancer in the pediatric population and discusses diagnostic workup, evaluation of risk factors for head and neck cancer, and treatment options.

Tracheal and bronchial tumors

Although primary tracheobronchial tumors are extremely rare in children, recurrent respiratory symptoms resistant to conventional therapy require further investigations to exclude possible malignant obstructive causes. As the matter of fact, early diagnosis may allow minimally invasive surgeries, improving the standard of living and the globally survival rate. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of diagnosis and management of tracheobronchial tumors in the early age, since only few reports are reported in the worldwide literature.

Primary tracheobronchial tumors in children

Primary tracheobronchial tumors are rare lesions that can be benign or malignant, with different location along the airway tree. Symptoms may include wheezing, chronic pneumonia, asthma, chest pain, recurrent cough, atelectasis, haemoptysis, and weight loss. Due to the heterogeneity of symptoms, diagnosis can be difficult and the airway involvement can lead progressively to a bronchial or tracheal obstruction. Due to the rarity of primary tracheobronchial tumors in children, there are not any oncological guidelines on pre-operative work-up, treatment, and follow-up. Only few reports and multicentric studies are reported. In most cases, surgical resection seems to be the treatment of choice. Brachytherapy, endoscopic treatment, and chemotherapy are rarely described. In this article we present an overview on these rare tumors, including pathological aspects, clinical presentation, imaging assessment, and endoscopic or open surgical treatments. We discuss different surgical approaches, according with tumor location.

Squamous cell carcinoma of larynx in an 8-year-old child: successful management with chemo-radiation

Incidence of laryngeal squamous cell cancer (SCC) in childhood is rare, more so in children below 10 years of age. Due to the rarity of the disease and nonspecific symptoms diagnosis often gets delayed. Treatment is challenging and demands expert multi-modality care. We describe the clinico-pathologic findings and management of laryngeal cancer with chemo-radiation in an 8-year-old male. After 18 months of completion of treatment the child is in complete remission clinically and radiologically. This report aims at increasing awareness of head and neck SCC in paediatric population and also underscores the importance of multi-modality care in managing such cases.

Pediatric laryngeal cancer with 5-year follow up: case report

Larynx cancer is the commonest malignancy of upper aerodigestive tract. However, laryngeal cancer is extremely rare in childhood since these tumors are generally not suspected in the differential diagnosis of hoarseness, dysphagia and/or progressive airway obstruction in children; diagnosis can be made relatively late. In this report we would like to present a case of advanced stage pediatric laryngeal carcinoma who was treated with chemoradiotherapy and remained well on her 5-year follow-up.

Speech Pathology Services to Children With Cancer and Nonmalignant Hematological Disorders

Children with cancer and nonmalignant hematological disorders may require speech pathology (SP) support; however, limited evidence is available describing prevalence and severity of swallowing/feeding and communication impairments in this population. A retrospective chart review of 70 children referred to SP at the newly formed Queensland Children’s Cancer Centre was conducted to describe the prevalence and severity of swallowing/feeding and communication dysfunction, and the association between impairment, oncology and hematology diagnosis, and service utilization (time and occasions of service). Swallowing/feeding disorders were the most commonly observed impairments at initial assessment (58.6%). Children with central nervous system tumors ( P = .03) and nonmalignant hematological disorder ( P = .03) had significantly higher rates of feeding impairment than other oncology and hematology diagnostic groups. Children with central nervous system tumors had the highest rates of oral phase ( P = .01) and pharyngeal phase ( P = .01) dysphagia (swallowing disorder). No significant difference was found between diagnostic groups for intensity of SP service delivery. Prospective research is required to examine prevalence and severity of disorders, and service utilization in a more established clinic, and to investigate interactions between cancer treatment and swallowing/feeding and communication dysfunction.

Laryngeal embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma in an adult - a case presentation in the eyes of geneticists and clinicians

1. Abstract

Neonatal nodular fasciitis of the larynx

We want to describe a case of neonatal laryngeal nodular fasciitis. A 5-day-old female presented with stridor. Fiberoptic transnasal laryngoscopy identified a smooth ball-valving mass obstructing the glottis. Direct microlaryngoscopy demonstrated a lesion originating from the right laryngeal ventricle. Endoscopic therapeutic and diagnostic subtotal biopsies relieved the airway obstruction. Pathologic analysis established nodular fasciitis as the diagnosis. Follow-up endoscopy showed complete resolution of this reactive lesion, and normal laryngeal function. Nodular fasciitis, rarely described in children's head and neck region, has never been reported in the larynx of a neonate. This patient's successful outcome suggests that conservative resection may be both diagnostic and curative.

Integration of human papilloma virus type 26 in laryngeal cancer of a child

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in larynx is rare with children and adolescents. Usually larynx cancer is common with male smokers in the 7th decade. Among patients with no history of tobacco and/or alcohol consumption several factors have can play a role in the outbreak of laryngeal cancer: such as individual predisposition, radiation, gastroesophageal reflux, viral infection, dietary factors and environmental influences. In literature only few cases of laryngeal cancer with children are reported. Recent studies show that the most frequent laryngeal malignancy is the embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. Besides the recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) based on an infection with human papilloma virus (HPV) types 6 and 11 (low risk) and types 16 and 18 (high risk) is known for a possible malignant transformation towards a SCC. HPV type 26 is only reported as low risk type HPV associated with cervical cancer. Final diagnosis often takes a long time. Initial symptoms such as hoarseness, cough or shortness of breath are often referred to more typical pediatric diseases or laryngeal development.

Paediatric laryngeal malignant nerve sheath tumour

Malignant nerve sheath tumours (MNSTs) are more frequently diagnosed in the extremities, the chest wall and the abdominal wall. Laryngeal MNST is an extremely rare occurrence, particularly in children. We treated a laryngeal recurrence of MNST in a 13-year-old boy with chemotherapy followed by horizontal supraglottic laryngectomy extended to left arytenoid and ipsilateral vocal fold and bilateral neck dissection. Four years later, hemithyroidectomy was performed for thyroid MNST recurrence. At present, 6 years after last intervention, the patient shows no evidence of recurrent disease.

Laryngeal pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma

Adult rhabdomyosarcoma of the larynx is a rare disease. Two cases of laryngeal rhabdomyosarcoma of the pleomorphic subtype are presented. One case was treated with surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the other by surgery alone. At present 20 months after treatment the patients are without local reccurrence or metastases. The pathology of the tumor, diagnosis, and treatment are discussed.

Current opinion in diagnosis and treatment of laryngeal carcinoma

Laryngeal carcinoma is the 11th commonest form of cancer in men world-wide, with 121,000 new cases in 1985. More than 95% of all laryngeal malignancies are squamous cell carcinomas. Treatment indications in cancer of the larynx are often controversial, since there are few comparative studies of different available therapeutic approaches. Surgery and radiotherapy are both widely used, and the choice between these two procedures is the most common therapeutic decision which has to be taken. Laryngeal function preservation has gained more and more weight in the last decades and chemotherapy is also a significant component of several curative approaches. In the last decades, several organ-preserving surgical techniques have become available and consequently total laryngectomy results less applied. Regardless of the treatment modality, Tis, T1, T2 laryngeal carcinomas have an 80-90% probability of cure, whereas for more advanced tumours this is approximately 60%. The most effective approach to laryngeal cancer remains prevention and early diagnosis when this cancer is curable with function preserving treatments.

Acquired upper airway obstruction

Acquired upper airway obstruction is a common cause of respiratory emergencies in children. Most pathologic processes that result in upper airway compromise are a consequence of infection, trauma or aspiration. Today, many of the infectious causes of upper airway obstruction have lost their threat as a result of the progress made in preventing and treating these infections. Prompt recognition and appropriate management of the child presenting with upper airway obstruction remains critical, because certain causes can progress rapidly from a mild to a potentially life-threatening disease state. A correct diagnosis can often be made by history and physical examination, but additional studies may be useful in selected cases. The child's clinical appearance is the most reliable indicator of severity, and measurable signs are of less value. If respiratory failure is imminent, airway protection and endoscopy for definitive diagnosis may have priority over any other therapeutic or diagnostic procedure.

Successful ribavirin therapy for life-threatening laryngeal papillomatosis post liver transplantation

A 3-yr-old girl developed severe progressive juvenile laryngeal papillomatosis (JLP) 2 yr after liver transplantation (Tx) for biliary atresia. The papillomata were resistant to withdrawal of immunosuppression, to laser surgery, and to subcutaneous interferon (3 MU/m2, three times weekly), necessitating tracheostomy. Oral ribavirin therapy (25 mg/kg/day) in combination with no immunosuppression effectively prevented the rapid recurrence of JLP over 5 yr. Hence, oral ribavirin is a potentially useful therapy in this life-threatening situation and may also be of benefit in other children with severe JLP.