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Carcinoma Cuniculatum of the Larynx

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Abstract

Carcinoma cuniculatum (CC) is a rare clinicopathologic variant of squamous cell carcinoma. Histologically, it is characterized by invasive growth of bland, acanthotic, and keratinizing squamous epithelium that forms multiple rabbit burrow-like, keratin-filled crypts and sinuses. We present a 51-year-old male smoker with CC of the left vocal cord. The tumor was staged T1a and the patient was disease-free 12 months after surgery. To our knowledge, this is the fourth case of CC of the larynx reported in the English literature and the first, due to its early diagnosis, where radical surgery was not performed. We highlight the necessity for awareness of this entity and coordination between otolaryngologists, radiologists, and pathologists for early diagnosis and organ-sparing surgical treatment.

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Correspondence to Massimo Ralli or Alessandro Corsi.

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Marcotullio, D., Zoccali, F., Gilardi, A. et al. Carcinoma Cuniculatum of the Larynx. Head and Neck Pathol 15, 1308–1312 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-020-01264-7

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