Is vocal cord leukoplakia serious and how should it be treated?

Vocal cord leukoplakia is a type of pharyngeal disease. This disease is very serious. If not treated in time, it may even turn into cancer. There are three main treatments for this disease: etiological treatment, conservative treatment and surgical treatment. If the first two are not very effective, you can choose to alleviate the condition through surgical treatment.

Causes and pathology of vocal cord leukoplakia

The cause and pathogenesis of vocal cord leukoplakia are still unclear. It may be related to smoking and chronic laryngitis, improper use of voice (talking too much), and decreased immunity caused by excessive fatigue. Vocal cord leukoplakia is more common in men. Data from Shanghai ENT Hospital shows that male patients account for 95.5% of vocal cord leukoplakia patients. This is related to gay men having too many social engagements, sleeping too late, smoking and drinking too much, and talking excessively. The pathology of vocal cord leukoplakia is mainly characterized by excessive keratinization or incomplete keratinization of the squamous epithelium and local inflammation, often accompanied by squamous epithelial cell hyperplasia (non-atypical hyperplasia, mild, moderate, and severe atypical hyperplasia). Vocal cord leukoplakia accompanied by moderate to severe atypical hyperplasia of the squamous epithelium, especially severe atypical hyperplasia, should be taken seriously.

Symptoms of vocal cord leukoplakia and laryngoscopy

The main symptom of vocal cord leukoplakia is hoarseness, which worsens as the lesion progresses. Laryngoscopy examination revealed a white membrane on the surface of the vocal cords or their edges, or white proliferative ridges on the surface of the vocal cords, which were limited in range or spread to the entire vocal cords. The vocal cords moved normally. If the vocal cord movement is restricted, cancer may have occurred.

Vocal Cord Leukoplakia Treatment

After discovering vocal cord leukoplakia, the first thing to do is to analyze the cause yourself and change bad living habits. This is the prerequisite for treatment. Secondly, you should listen to and analyze the doctor's advice, and if necessary, see several doctors (different hospitals and different doctors may have different treatment opinions for the same patient) and make a comprehensive consideration. The treatment principles of Shanghai ENT Hospital: First is etiological treatment and conservative treatment; if etiological treatment and conservative treatment are ineffective, or the doctor believes based on experience that conservative treatment will not be effective, or suspects that the leukoplakia may have become cancerous, surgical treatment is required.