title: An unusual case of laryngeal spindle cell carcinoma metastasising to the orbit and heart.
abstract: We report the first case in the world literature of laryngeal spindle cell carcinoma metastasising to the orbit. A 65-year-old woman was previously treated for T3 N0 Mx laryngeal spindle cell carcinoma, with laryngectomy and post-operative radiotherapy. Five months following this treatment, she developed proptosis, diplopia and reduced right visual acuity, secondary to an enlarging mass within the right orbit. This was biopsied, and subsequent histology confirmed a diagnosis of metastatic spindle cell carcinoma. Subsequent post-mortem examination demonstrated additional pulmonary, hepatic and cardiac metastatic disease, in the absence of any other primary tumour or locoregional disease. The radiological investigation of patients with laryngeal spindle cell carcinoma is discussed and contrasted with that of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Peterborough Hospitals NHS Trust, UK.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mani
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lowe
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pope
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: El-Daly
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pfleiderer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000556:secondary*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D006352:Heart Ventricles; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D009918:Orbital Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D014056:Tomography, X-Ray