subglottis

If cancer is in the subglottis, treatment may include the following:

Subglottis: Cancer has spread to one or both vocal cords, which may not move normally.

Its interior can be divided in supraglottis, glottis and subglottis.

Each substage is the same for cancer in the supraglottis, glottis, or subglottis.

Tumor limited to the subglottis.

Subglottis: The lower part of the larynx between the vocal cords and the trachea (windpipe).

Tumor extends to supraglottis and/or subglottis and/or with impaired vocal cord mobility.

In stage III cancer of the subglottis:

Subglottis: Cancer is in the subglottis only.

Glottis: Cancer has spread to the supraglottis and/or the subglottis and/or the vocal cords cannot move normally.

In babies and young children however, the subglottis is the narrowest part of the airway and most stenoses do in fact occur at this level.

Stage III laryngeal cancer depends on whether cancer has spread from the supraglottis, glottis, or subglottis.

Motor innervation to all other muscles of the larynx and sensory innervation to the subglottis is by the recurrent laryngeal nerve.

Biphasic stridor (occurring during both the inspiratory and expiratory phases) indicates narrowing at the level of the glottis or subglottis, the point between the upper and lower airways.

For patients with cancer of the subglottis, combined modality therapy is generally preferred for the uncommon small lesions (i.e., stage I or stage II); however, radiation therapy alone may be used.

For the purposes of tumour staging, the larynx is divided into three anatomical regions: the glottis (true vocal cords, anterior and posterior commissures); the supraglottis (epiglottis, arytenoids and aryepiglottic folds, and false cords); and the subglottis.