Four common ways of metastasis of late-stage laryngeal cancer

In addition to the damage caused by the disease itself, the more important thing that causes serious harm to patients with advanced laryngeal cancer is the metastasis of advanced laryngeal cancer. What are the common metastasis methods of advanced laryngeal cancer? The following is a brief introduction to the common metastasis methods of advanced laryngeal cancer.

Generally, the common metastasis modes of laryngeal cancer in the late stage are:

1. Implant transfer

The larynx is located at the upper end of the respiratory system. Due to gravity and respiration, the shed cells of laryngeal cancer can fall into the bronchi or lungs with local secretions and cause implantation metastasis. Up to 73% of laryngeal cancer patients eventually develop lung metastasis, and up to 89% of low-secretion type patients. However, lung metastasis can be either hematogenous metastasis or implantation metastasis of cell shedding. In addition, since both the larynx and lung cancer belong to the respiratory system and are stimulated by almost the same carcinogenic factors, it is difficult to exclude the possibility of a second primary lesion in the lungs when laryngeal cancer has already occurred. This is a common metastasis mode of late-stage laryngeal cancer.

2. Direct diffusion

Because the larynx is protected by the thyroid cartilage, it is relatively slow to spread outward. The direct way of spread is that the metastasis of this late-stage laryngeal cancer first infiltrates along the mucosal surface to the submucosal membrane. Vocal cord cancer mainly spreads backward, forward through the anterior commissure to the opposite vocal cord, and backward to the arytenoid cartilage, but it is rare to invade the ventricular band upward. Supraglottic cancer develops faster and is most likely to spread to the pre-epiglottic space, or invade the piriform sinus along the epiglottic folds, and can also develop along the pharyngeal epiglottic folds to the epiglottic valley of the posterior pharyngeal wall and the root of the tongue. Subglottic cancer often develops forward and downward, infiltrating the opposite subglottis, but rarely invading backward.

3. Hematogenous metastasis

Hematogenous metastasis of laryngeal cancer is not very common. It usually occurs in the late stage and is a manifestation of widespread metastasis throughout the body. Only a few patients in the early stage metastasize to other parts of the body, internal organs or bones through the blood circulation. Among all laryngeal cancer patients, less than 5% have blood metastasis. Some people analyze the reasons for hematogenous metastasis and believe that it may be that the tumor directly erodes the blood vessel wall, allowing cancer cells to enter the blood circulation. Or it may be because it first invades the lymphatic vessels and then enters the veins and spreads with the blood. This is also a common way for laryngeal cancer to metastasize in the late stage.

4. Lymphatic metastasis

Laryngeal cancer can metastasize through the lymphatic system. The cervical lymph nodes are the first to appear, and are the main way of metastasis in the late stage of laryngeal cancer. The glottic type has few lymphatic vessels in the vocal cords, so metastasis occurs later. The supraglottic type has abundant lymphatic tissue, so lymph node metastasis occurs earlier. The early or late appearance of lymph node metastasis is related to the primary site of the lesion and clinical stage, as well as the histological characteristics of the tumor.

The above is an introduction to the common metastasis of late-stage laryngeal cancer. I hope it will be helpful to everyone. Once you have laryngeal cancer, you must go to the hospital for treatment in time to avoid serious impact on your condition.