Before active measures are employed on any patient suspected to be suffering from cancer of the larynx a specimen should be obtained, when possible, for microscopic confirmation and for guidance as to the best form of treatment to employ.
In considering the treatment of a laryngeal neoplasm it should be borne in mind that only a portion of the organ is directly responsible for the production of voice. There are regions intimately connected with the act of swallowing; these are the epiglottis, the aryepiglottic folds, the mucous membrane covering the posterior part of the cricoid ring and the muscles attached to it, really part of the pharynx. The pyriform fossa is in relationship externally to a small portion of the thyroid wing and is a recess of the pharynx rather than of the larynx. A growth confined to these regions can often be approached via the pharynx, and the operation