Papillomas of the Larynx

THE PROBLEMS of laryngeal papillomatosis, a benign disease of children, possibly a premalignant disease of adults, have perplexed otolaryngologists since the pathologic entity was first described. Its etiology is obscure, although evidence points by inference to a viral influence, and treatment regimes have been recommended which are as varied as the multicolored coat of the biblical Joseph. This paper is presented in an attempt to clarify some of the more disturbing incongruities and to submit an evaluation of 67 cases seen at the University of California, San Francisco, between 1928 and 1962. Historical Early descriptions of benign laryngeal tumors date back to the 17th century when "warts of the throat" were mentioned by Marcellus Donalus.1Koderick reported the removal of a laryngeal polyp through the mouth in 1750,2while Cheesman published the first case of vocal cord papilloma in the United States in 1817.2Seven cases