Therapeutic approaches and outcomes in patients with larynx or hypopharynx high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma: A single-center retrospective analysis

Background High-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma of the larynx (HG-NECL) is rare and aggressive with limited data regarding response to systemic therapy. We evaluated clinicopathological features, therapeutic approaches, and outcomes in patients with laryngeal or hypopharyngeal HG-NECL. Methods Data were retrospectively collected through 1997-2020. Median disease-free (mDFS), progression-free (mPFS), and overall survival (mOS) were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results Fifteen patients were identified; most had locoregional (N = 7) or metastatic disease (N = 5). The main curative-intent treatment was chemoradiation concurrent with platinum-based chemotherapy; the rate of complete response was 78%. Most patients (80%) developed recurrence; the mDFS was 13.1 months. For the first-line palliative therapy, the ORR and mPFS were 50% and 3.1 months, respectively. For all patients, the mOS was 17.8 months, and 8.6 months for metastatic disease. Conclusion Laryngeal HG-NEC is associated with high relapse rates and dismal prognosis for those with recurrent/metastatic disease. Novel therapeutic strategies are needed.