Physical activity and laryngeal cancer

Laryngeal cancer [International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 code C32; malignant neoplasms of larynx, including glottis, supraglottis, subglottis, and laryngeal cartilage], belongs to the specific category of head and neck malignancies and is a relatively rare condition. According to the Global Burden of Disease Cancer Collaboration, the currently estimated incidence of laryngeal cancer is 211 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 206–216] per 1,000, with a 5:1 male to female ratio and approximately 10% of patients in metastatic or terminal phase (1). The estimated mortality for laryngeal cancer approximates 126 (95% CI, 123–130) per 1,000, again with a 5:1 male to female ratio. Notably, the burden of this malignancy, expressed as years lived with disability (YLDs), has increased by nearly 25% (25.1%; 95% CI, 21.7–28.5%) during the past 3 decades (2). The large majority of larynx cancers, approximating 98%, are represented by squamous cell carcinoma, whilst leiomyosarcomas, chondrosarcomas, lymphomas, and melanomas account for the remaining 2% (3)