Correlation between preoperative endoscopic findings and computed tomography with postoperative histopathology in the staging of laryngeal carcinoma

Abstract

Background Laryngeal cancers represent 4.5% of all malignancies and 28% of malignancies of the upper aerodigestive tract. Different modalities for pretherapeutic assessment have been advocated including endoscopy and radiology. Aim The objective of the current study is to assess the accuracy of preoperative CT and clinical/endoscopic staging of laryngeal tumors by comparing clinical and imaging findings of each modality with histologic cross-sections of surgical specimens. Methods This prospective study included thirty patients with cancer larynx who underwent surgical treatment. All patients underwent transnasal fiberoptic laryngoscopy with photographic documentation. CT scan axial slices of 2-mm thickness with contrast were obtained. The surgical specimens were cut in whole-organ slices parallel to the plane of the axial CT. Results The T stage was correctly determined by both endoscope and CT scan in 23 cases. The agreement between perceived T stage by endoscope and CT with histopathological analysis was 100% for T1, 66.7% for T2, 80% for T3 and 66.6% for T4. Conclusion Multi Slice CT scan is superior to laryngoscopy in the evaluation of T3 and T4 tumors. However, laryngoscopy is better than MSCT in the evaluation of T1 and T2 lesions.