Laryngeal carcinoma in black patients.

The majority of reports on laryngeal carcinoma are from institutions serving a mostly white population. This report is about laryngeal carcinoma in black patients at Harlem Hospital Center. In a retrospective analysis, 113 patients (male-female, 3.5:1) with carcinoma of the larynx were examined. Sixty-seven patients (59%) were between 50 and 60 years of age. There were two patients (2%) with carcinoma in situ, 15 (13%) in Stage I, 40 (35%) in Stage II, 39 (35%) in Stage III, and 15 (13%) in Stage IV. Of the 113 patients, 70 (62%) were treated surgically, Group I; 24 (21%) received radiotherapy only, Group 2; and 19 (17%) refused treatment or died before therapy initiation. For patients in Group 1, the 1-year survival rate was 68% (43 of 63), the 3-year survival rate was 38% (20 of 53), and the 5-year survival rate was 15% (7 of 47). For Group 2, the survival rate was 48% (11 of 23), 30% (7 of 23), and 14% (3 of 22), respectively. In this patient population, laryngeal carcinoma occurred at a younger age than other reported groups, had a higher incidence in females, and had a lower 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rate.