How Laryngeal Cancer Spreads

If you have laryngeal cancer, there is a risk that the cancer will spread to other parts of your head and neck. These are the most common areas cancer cells spread to, listed in order of where they are most likely to spread first.

• Lymph nodes in the neck

• The back of the tongue

• Other parts of the throat and neck

• The lungs

• Other parts of the body, including the liver, bones, and brain

When cancer cells from the larynx spread, it is not considered a new cancer. It is called metastatic laryngeal cancer. For instance, laryngeal cancer that has spread to the lungs is not called lung cancer; it is called metastatic laryngeal cancer in the lung.