In a total laryngectomy, the whole voice box is removed, and the stoma is permanent. The patient, called a laryngectomee, breathes through the stoma. A laryngectomee must learn to talk in a new way. If the doctor thinks that the cancer may have started to spread, the lymph nodes in the neck and some of the tissue around them are removed. These nodes are often the first place to which laryngeal cancer spreads.
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells.
The doctor may suggest one drug or a combination of drugs. In some cases, anticancer drugs are given to shrink a large tumor before the patient has radiation therapy or surgery. Also, chemotherapy may be used for cancers that have spread. Anticancer drugs for cancer of the larynx are usually given by injection into the bloodstream. Often the drugs are given in cycles - a treatment period followed by a rest period, then another treatment and rest period, and so on.