We wish to call attention to the fact that although carcinoma of the larynx in children is rare, its presence must be seriously considered when symptoms of hoarseness, choking, and signs of airway obstruction are noted to persist, despite adequate therapy for benign illness. Few cases of carcinoma of the larynx in children have been reported.1-10 Recently we have been faced with the management of this disease in a 16-year-old boy.
Report of a Case
History.
—The patient, a 16-year-old white boy, had had hoarseness and difficulty in breathing for one year. Fifteen days before admission, he was seen at the referring hospital because of sudden, almost complete laryngeal obstruction, requiring immediate tracheostomy. Biopsies of a tumor mass involving both vocal cords and the left lateral laryngeal wall revealed well-differentiated, papillary epidermoid carcimona. The patient was transferred Aug. 6, 1958, to the Children's Hospital of Louisville for definitive treatment.