Leukoplakia and squamous cell carcinoma

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leukoplakia on left vocal cord, leukoplakia on left vocal cord, mild leukoplakia, Leukoplakia is growing, Leukoplakia, Leukoplakia is gone after laser treatment, 4 years after squamous cell carcinoma removal, no recurrence, 4 years after squamous cell carcinoma removal, no recurrence

A white spot - leukoplakia - on the left vocal cord appearing several weeks after removal of a small vocal cord cancer (a squamous cell carcinoma). Because the white patch prevents complete closure of the vocal cord, air leaks around the white patch causing a husky hoarseness. When she sings the two segments on the right photo vibrate at two different pitches giving her a rough hoarseness (diplophonia) also.

The leukoplakia returned very gradually over several years of monitoring the vocal cords.

3 years after the original excision of the tumor, the leukoplakia has reoccurred in 2 spots on the left vocal cord, causing a slight deterioration in her voice. Since it seems like it is growing, we treated in the office with a laser and the white patches fall off.

Over 4 years after her surgery removal, her vocal cords still appeared clear. The most recent photos are taken with a Pentax high definition endoscope and the colors are filtered to highlight the blood vessels or vascular changes. The area on the left vocal cord where the tumor was originally does not have any significant new blood vessels suggesting that it has not recurred. The vocal cords are also free of leukoplakia so that the vocal cords come completely together for a clear voice.