[Clinical aspects in oral, pharyngeal and laryngeal carcinoma--results of an overall Swiss cohort study].

Squamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx cause early symptoms and are fairly accessible. Nevertheless, in more than half of cases they are diagnosed at an advanced stage. This paper identifies patients at high risk of developing one of these carcinomas, describes the typical clinical findings and shows how, with a high index of suspicion and a proper examination technique, diagnosis at an earlier stage could be achieved. The study is based on the data of 636 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity (174 patients), oropharynx (177), hypopharynx (97), and larynx (188). 87% of the patients were male, and 90% were aged between 40 and 80 years. 85% of the patients smoked and drank alcohol regularly. The key symptoms were pain, dysphagia, hoarseness, a painless neck mass, or a visible ulcerating lesion. On average a 4-month period elapsed from the onset of symptoms to the histological diagnosis. The diagnostic delay was significantly shorter in patients with pain or visible organic changes (ulcerating lesions, neck masses) than in patients with functional symptoms (dysphagia and hoarseness).