Cancer of the larynx (vocal cords cancer)

This endoscopy shows a patient with cancer of the larynx, Laryngeal cancer is the most common cancer of the upper respiratory tract. The incidence of laryngeal tumors is closely correlated with smoking, as head and neck tumors occur 6 times more often among cigarette smokers than among nonsmokers. The age-standardized risk of mortality from laryngeal cancer appears to have a linear relationship with increasing cigarette consumption. Death from laryngeal cancer is 20 times more likely for the heaviest smokers than for nonsmokers. It should be suspected in any patient with hoarseness of the voice for three weeks or longer until proven otherwise.