We’re here to answer your questions about cancer.

Contact the Cancer

Information Helpline by email or live chat or call 1-888-939-3333.

Canadian Cancer Society Logo

Stages of laryngeal cancer
Home Cancer information Cancer types Laryngeal Staging
Laryngeal cancer
What is laryngeal cancer
Risks
Signs and symptoms
Diagnosis
Grading
Staging
If cancer spreads
Prognosis and survival
Treatment
Supportive care
Research
Statistics
Staging describes or classifies a cancer based on how much cancer there is
in the body and where it is when first diagnosed. This is often called the
extent of cancer. Information from tests is used to find out the size of the
tumour, which parts of the organ have cancer, whether the cancer has
spread from where it first started and where the cancer has spread. Your
healthcare team uses the stage to plan treatment and estimate the outcome
(your prognosis).

The most common staging system for laryngeal cancer is the TNM system.
For laryngeal cancer there are 5 stages – stage 0 followed by stages 1 to 4.
Often the stages 1 to 4 are written as the Roman numerals I, II, III and IV.
Generally, the higher the stage number, the more the cancer has spread.
Talk to your doctor if you have questions about staging.

Some doctors may also use the following terms when discussing laryngeal
cancer:

Stage 0 laryngeal cancer is also called carcinoma in situ

. The cancer is only in the inner lining of the larynx.

Early stage laryngeal cancer includes stages 1 and 2.
Locally advanced laryngeal cancer means stage 3.
Advanced stage laryngeal cancer means stage 4.
Laryngeal cancer staging is very complicated since it is based on where the
cancer starts in the larynx. There are unique descriptions for stages 1, 2 and
3 for cancer that starts above the vocal cords, in the vocal cords and below
the vocal cords in the larynx. The stage 4 description is the same regardless
of where the cancer started. Find out more about staging cancer.

Diagram of the regions of the larynx

Diagram of the regions of the larynx
Cancer that starts above the vocal cords (supraglottis)
The following is staging for cancer that starts in the top part of the larynx
above the vocal cords (called the supraglottis).

Stage 1
The tumour is only within the subglottis.