Laryngeal carcinoid tumor: light and electron microscopic studies.

A case of laryngeal carcinoid in a Japanese 76-year-old man is reported. This neoplasm is extremely rare in the larynx and the case is the fourth so far reported in the world medical literature. Light and electron microscopic studies revealed argyrophilia and the presence of neurosecretory granules that had not been demonstrated in the previous cases. A review of the medical literature showed that all laryngeal carcinoids were pathologically malignant. The relationship of carcinoid tumor to oat cell carcinoma of the larynx is discussed, and the suggestion is made that a similar relationship exists between them as between carcinoid tumors and oat cell carcinomas of the lung.