[Laryngeal amyloidosis: a rare cause of hoarseness]

Localized amyloidosis: a survey of 35 French cases

Since the prognosis of localized amyloidosis remains unclear, we conducted a survey to define the characteristics and the course of this disease. The charts of 35 patients with either laryngeal (14 patients), tracheobronchial (10 patients), colonic (1 patient), or lower urinary tract amyloidosis (10 patients) were analyzed. The average age at diagnosis was 52.7+/-12 years (range 33-73 years). The amyloid protein type was specified to be amyloid light chain (AL) in 15 cases. All patients had undergone additional biopsies (accessory salivary glands, rectal, fat pad and bone marrow aspirates) to rule out a systemic disease. Symptomatic treatments included endoscopic excision and laser therapy. Colchicine and chemotherapy with prednisone and melphalan were prescribed with limited success. During a mean follow-up period of 6.1+/-5.3 years no patient developed a systemic form of amyloidosis. Six deaths were reported, one related to the disease because of a fatal airway hemorrhage. We suggest that immunolabeling studies should be more routinely performed. There was no risk of developing a systemic disease from local amyloid deposits in our survey. However, local evolution can be life-threatening. Such patients should be referred to specialist centers for further evaluation. Management requires close follow-up to exclude recurrence and to determine the appropriate symptomatic treatment.