Metastatic involvement of the cavernous sinus from primary pharyngolaryngeal tumors.

The cavernous sinus is an unusual site for metastases from tumors of the larynx and pharynx. In postmortem studies of patients with cancers of the larynx, hypopharynx, and other sites, cavernous sinus metastases have been detected in very few cases. We present 3 cases of metastatic cavernous sinus disease. Despite the lack of pathologic diagnosis by biopsy, we feel that the clinical presentation combined with computed tomography provides an accurate diagnosis.