Classification of vocal fold leukoplakia by clinical scoring

Abstract

Background: Vocal cord leukoplakia comprises a variety of lesions. The purpose of this study was to stratify vocal leukoplakias before surgery.

Methods: Patients with an initial diagnosis of vocal leukoplakia who underwent surgical excision at a tertiary referral center in Taiwan were recruited for this study. Their clinical records, including age, sex, preoperative laryngoscopic images in the office setting, and final pathology reports were collected and analyzed.

Results: Patient age (p = .010), nonhomogenous lesion texture (p = .001), and existence of hyperemia (p = .014) were identified as independent factors predicting malignancy. A predictive formula was established accordingly. The model showed an excellent discrimination role by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis (area under the curve = 0.86; p < .001).

Conclusion: This study confirmed the value of a scoring system based on laryngoscopic characteristics and patient age for predicting the histologic results in vocal leukoplakia. It is helpful for classifying vocal leukoplakia and pretreatment planning. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E1998-E2003, 2016.

Keywords: dysphonia; laryngoscopy; larynx; scoring; vocal leukoplakia.