Comparison of clinical evaluation and computed tomographic diagnostic accuracy for tumors of the larynx and hypopharynx.

Ninety-five patients with laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer were examined and staged preoperatively by clinical evaluation (CE) and computed tomography (CT). The CE and CT staging were compared to each other and to the pathologic (PT) staging of the tumors. The CT staging showed high accuracy in staging transglottic (88%), supraglottic (68%), and oropharyngeal tumors invading the larynx (68%) when compared to the PT findings. The CT staging was less effective in evaluating glottic tumors (46%), both overstaging (12%) and understaging (20%) cases. Combined CE-CT evaluation showed higher accuracy in staging all tumors (84%) compared to CE alone (52%) or CT alone (68%). The findings suggest that combined CE-CT should be used to evaluate laryngeal and hypopharyngeal tumors.