Squamous Cell Carcinoma Originating from Adult Laryngeal Papillomatosis: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract EN

Background.

The malignant transformation of laryngeal papillomatosis (LP) into squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) can occur in up to 4% of LP cases.

The low-risk HPV types 6 and 11 are those that are most commonly related to LP; however, high-risk HPV types may be present.

The present study reviews the literature on cases of malignant transformation of LP in adults and reports a clinical case.

Case Report.

A 47-year-old male patient exhibiting hoarseness for 4 months presented an exophytic lesion in the right palatine tonsil and a digitiform-like lesion in the right vocal fold.

The biopsy revealed a well-differentiated SCC in the vocal cord, which showed a transition zone with a squamous papillomatous lesion.

By using the chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) test, both lesions showed a positive result for high-risk HPV types 16 and 18 and negative for low-risk HPV types 6 and 11.

The final diagnosis was SCC arising from LP.

The patient underwent surgical treatment.

After 36 months of follow-up, no signs of recurrence were observed.

Results.

The literature review revealed 25 cases of malignant transformation into SCC of LP with adult onset.

Of these, only 9 cases were assessed by CISH and/or PCR for HPV identification, of which 7 were positive.

The current study focuses on the eighth case, suggesting the involvement of the high-risk HPV types in its pathogenesis.

Conclusions.

LP is considered a benign lesion with the potential for malignant transformation, which reinforces the need for its early diagnosis and the constant monitoring of patients with LP.