โ Scribed by William S. Maccomb
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
The site of origin of cancer of the larynx determines the natural history of this disease. Consequently the initial findings are the basis for staging which also has a bearing on the prognosis. Through cooperation of the surgeon and the radiation therapist the best of each or both modalities may be obtained for the patient. The functional as well as the curative result must be considered in the selection of treatment.
ANCER OF THE LARYNX WAS RECOGNIZED AS C a clinical entity from the time of its description in autopsy studies by Boerhaave (1668) and Morgagni (1 732).22 From the practical viewpoint, however, little was accomplished in the way of diagnosis until 1856, the year in which Garcia described visualization of his own larynx.17 Garcia's account largely was disregarded in England but 2 Austro-Hungarian physicians, Turck (1 857) and CLermack (1 S58), succeeded in implementing the idea in the examination of patients. Direct laryngoscopy developed after Kirstein (1895)14 reported his success in visualization of the vocal cords through von Mikulicz's esophagoscope. The American physician, Chevalier Jackson, however, deserves the credit for developing peroral endoscopy into a specialty.?
A serious setback to the proper management of laryngeal cancer occurred as the result of the illness of Crown Prince Freiderich of Germany in 1887.23 Before this episode, the importance of histological diagnosis of cancer before treatment was accepted widely. Mackenzie failed to obtain either representative or adequate tissue and so to diagnose correctly what ultimately was proved to be cancer. The resulting controversy with the German physicians in regard to diagnosis and treatment unfortunately was publicized in the lay press and deterred general acceptance of the need for obtaining a biopsy specimen for almost 50 years.
Concerted attempts at treatment for laryngeal cancer also began in the middle of tile nineteenth century. T h e earliest operation used was thyrotomy which was actually median
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We studied 145 cases of larynx cancer in relation t o their etiology, methods of treatment, and results. It was found that better results were obtained with a combination of radiotherapy and surgery. Any postradiational edema of the larynx should subside within 3 months. If this edema persists or pr
Descriptions of the patient population suffering from carcinoma of the larynx are not common in Mexico. This article deals with the clinical features, treatment, and results of 357 cases of cancer of the larynx treated at the Hospital de Oncologia, Centro Medico Nacional, IMSS, during a 10-year peri