Head & Neck Oncology Program

Laryngeal Cancer

What is Laryngeal Cancer?

Ask the Expert

Get answers to your Head & Neck Cancer questions.

Dr. Strome’s Bio | Q&A Archive

Note: This is for informational purposes only. Doctors cannot provide a diagnosis or individual treatment advice via e-mail. Please consult your physician about your specific health care concerns.

Please install flash player to see this video.

Cancer Center Virtual Tour

Related Content

The larynx (or voice box) is a short passageway shaped like a triangle that is just below the pharyx in the neck. The pharynx is a hollow tube about five inches long that starts behind the nose and goes down to the neck to become part of the esophagus (the tube that goes to the stomach).

Air passes through the pharynx and then the larynx on the way to the windpipe (trachea) and into the lungs. Food passes through the pharynx on the way to the esophagus. The larynx has a small piece of tissue over it, called the epiglottis, to keep food from going into it or into the air passages.

The larynx contains the vocal cords, which vibrate and make sound when air is directed against them. The sound echoes through the pharynx, mouth, and nose to make a person’s voice. The muscles in the pharynx, face, tongue, and lips help people form words with sounds to make them understandable.

There are three main parts of the larynx: the glottis (the middle part of the larynx where the vocal cords are located); the supraglottis (the tissue above the glottis); and the subglottis (the tissue below the glottis). The subglottis connects to the trachea, which takes air to the lungs.

Cancer of the larynx is a disease in which cancerous (malignant) cells are found in the tissues of the larynx. It is most commonly found in people who smoke. If a person who smokes develops cancer of the larynx, they should stop smoking.

This page was last updated on: May 14, 2009.