Skip to main content
AAO-HNSF 2025 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO Main banner
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Rate ePoster
Video

Head and Neck Surgery

(A632) Small Cell Carcinoma of the Subglottis: A Case Report

Monday, October 13, 2025
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EDT
Location: OTO EXPO, Posters

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Caroline A. Bonaventure, MD

    Resident
    Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
    Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States

    • Senior Author(s)

  • VV

    Vilija Vaitaitis, MD

    Assistant Professor
    Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
    New orleans , Louisiana, United States

Disclosure(s):
Caroline A. Bonaventure, MD: No relevant relationships to disclose.
Vilija Vaitaitis, MD: No relevant relationships to disclose.


Introduction: Small cell carcinoma is neuroendocrine neoplasm most commonly presenting in the lung. Extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma is rare and represent about 2-5% of all small cell carcinomas. Laryngeal small cell carcinoma represents 0.5% of these, and small cell carcinoma of the subglottis is exceedingly rare with only a few case reports. We report a case of primary subglottic small cell carcinoma in a 52-year-old male.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was utilized.

Results: A 52-year-old male with past medical history of hypertension, tobacco use, alcohol use disorder, and substance abuse presented with several days of progressive shortness of breath. He denied dysphagia, odynophagia, or difficulty with secretions. Physical exam was notable for intermittent inspiratory stridor. Flexible laryngoscopy was performed showing bilateral true vocal fold mobility with a lesion of the subglottis and resultant stenosis. CT scan confirmed a soft tissue mass of the right subglottis.
Direct laryngoscopy with biopsy and debulking of the lesion was performed. Pathology was compatible with poorly differentiated small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. He underwent PET/CT which was notable for hypermetabolic activity of the subglottis with additional activity in a 1.3cm right level Vb lymph node. He was presented to multidisciplinary tumor board with recommendation for chemoradiation therapy. He underwent complete treatment with cisplatin/etoposide and concurrent radiation. PET/CT four months after treatment showed no residual disease.

Conclusions: We present a case of primary subglottic small cell carcinoma with extent to the trachea and cervical metastasis. Small cell carcinoma of the subglottis is an extremely rare entity with only a few reported cases. It most commonly presents in males in the 5th and 6th decades of life with history of smoking. Metastasis at presentation is common, with rates reported up to 90%. Five-year survival rates are poor (5-20%). Treatment generally includes chemoradiation therapy. Debate exists on the utility of surgical treatment, which is often reserved for recurrence.