COMPUTER TOMOGRAPHY AND ENDOSCOPY IN THE PRETHERAPEUTIC ASSESSMENT OF THE LARGE CANCER
Purpose: Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of staging cancer of the larynx via clinical and radiographic parameters, computed tomography (CT) in the evaluation of cartilage damage. Materials and methods: The study included 33 patients (29 men and 4 women), it also included patients who had a clinically diagnosed laryngeal tumor, which were evaluated with indirect laryngoscopy and CT. A biopsy was performed using direct laryngoscopy. Results: The sensitivity and specificity of cartilage invasion were as follows: thyroid cartilage (91.7% versus 71.4%); cricoid cartilage (85.7% vs 75%); and arytenoid cartilage (91.7% versus 71.4%). The diagnostic accuracy of CT staging compared with the histopathological stage showed sensitivity of 60.0%, specificity of 85.7%, positive predictive value of 60.0%, negative predictive value of 85.7%, accuracy of 78.9% (P = 0.084). Conclusion: CT is much more sensitive detection of tumor invasion of the cartilage. CT provides more relative accuracy in soft tissue assessment and multi-plane imaging.