Giant cell tumor of the larynx

Laryngeal giant cell tumour presenting as a tongue base lesion causing severe dysphagia

Giant cell tumours are benign lesions that are uncommonly found in the larynx. Patients with these tumours may present with dysphagia, hoarseness and anterior neck swelling. Giant cell tumours are extremely rare and only a few cases have been reported. We present a case of an elderly woman who presented with severe dysphagia and a mass at the base of her tongue. The mass was found to be a laryngeal giant cell tumour and was successfully treated with chemotherapy.

Giant cell tumor of the larynx: a case of malignant sarcomatous transformation

We report what is to the best of our knowledge the first case of malignant transformation of a giant cell tumor of the larynx. The patient, a 34-year-old man, presented to our tertiary care university teaching hospital where he underwent hemilaryngopharyngectomy with radial forearm free flap reconstruction and 11 of 15 cycles of chemotherapy. He remained disease-free at approximately 6 years and 4 months of follow-up. The patient is decannulated and continues to have a good voice with excellent quality of life to this day. We discuss the patient's clinical course and subsequent treatment within the context of a review of the current literature regarding this disease entity. Our experience demonstrates that giant cell tumor of the larynx may present as a malignant neoplasm without adversely affecting the patient's prognosis when treated aggressively with surgical resection and adjunct chemotherapy.

Giant cell tumor of the larynx: a clinicopathologic series of eight cases and a review of the literature

True giant cell tumors of the larynx (GCTL) are quite rare, and only individual case reports are documented in the literature. Eight cases of GCTL were identified in the Otorhinolaryngic Pathology Tumor Registry between 1966 and 2000. There were 2 women and 6 men, ages 26 to 62 years (mean, 44.5 yrs). Patients presented with a palpable neck mass (n = 5), airway obstruction (n = 3), hoarseness (n = 3), and dysphagia (n = 2). All tumors involved the thyroid cartilage, a few with local extension. The mean tumor size was 4.1 cm. Histologically, the tumors showed no connection to the surface epithelium and arose in sites of ossification. The tumors had an expansile, infiltrative growth and consisted of numerous multinucleated osteoclast-like giant cells within a cellular stroma composed of plump, oval mononuclear cells. Of interest was that the nuclei of the giant cells were similar to the nuclei of the stromal cells. Treatment included biopsy only with adjuvant therapy (n = 2), local resection (n = 3), and total laryngectomy (n = 3). Follow-up showed 5 patients were alive without evidence of disease (mean follow-up, 6.9 yrs); 2 died of unrelated causes (mean survival, 22.2 yrs). No patients developed recurrences. GCTL are rare tumors that can cause significant airway obstruction. Complete surgical resection yields an excellent outcome without adjuvant therapy.

Giant cell tumor of the larynx

Giant cell tumors are benign tumors generally found in the long bones. Very rarely, they can occur in the larynx and may present with dysphonia, dysphagia, or dyspnea. A case of giant cell tumor of the larynx was recently identified and successfully treated by a partial laryngectomy. A literature review has revealed 18 case reports of giant cell tumor of the larynx. All cases occurred in men. These 19 cases are reviewed, and follow-up data presented where available. There have been no reports of recurrence regardless of treatment, and an excellent prognosis can be expected when one encounters this unusual laryngeal neoplasm.