Type, Grade & Stage

After diagnosing a patient with a supraglottic laryngeal cancer, a doctor will need to determine what type of cancer it is, the grade of the tumor, and the stage of the cancer. Doctors often establish a preliminary disease stage based on physical exam and findings on imaging that help to identify the extent of disease. In patients who undergo surgery, a more well-defined disease stage is determined based on pathology after surgery. 

Type

The most common type of supraglottic cancer is squamous cell carcinoma, making up 95% of all laryngeal cancers. Squamous cell carcinoma is a cancer that starts from abnormal cells that line the larynx (voice box). In rare cases, other types of possible diagnoses are: 

• Salivary gland cancers: There are minor salivary glands located under the lining of the throat. This is why cancers that we typically see in salivary glands can arise in this region and they include diagnoses such as mucoepidermoid carcinomas, adenocarcinomas and adenoid cystic carcinomas, to name a few. See Salivary Gland Cancer for more information.
• Lymphoma: The throat is lined with lymphoid cells. Some major sites of lymphoid tissue include the adenoids in the nasopharynx (part of the throat behind the nose) and tonsils in the oropharynx. However, small amounts of lymphoid tissue also line the larynx as well and rarely a lymphoma can arise from the supraglottis.
• Mucosal melanoma: These cancers come from skin cells that give skin its color. The cells are also present in the lining (mucosa) of the aerodigestive tract. Overall, mucosal melanoma of the larynx is rare; however, the supraglottis is the most common site within the larynx.