Metastatic tumors of the larynx are rare. Among these, the particularly rare metastatic colorectal cancer often carries a poor prognosis. In this study, we report a case of laryngeal metastasis from transverse colon cancer, with a review of the relevant literature.

A 77-year-old man who had undergone surgery for transverse colon cancer was diagnosed as having a recurrence of the colon cancer 2 years after the surgery. PET-CT revealed strong accumulation in the larynx, with an SUVmax of 9.46.

The patient visited our department, and was noted to have hoarseness of the voice; however, the vocal cord movements were maintained, and there was no obvious neoplastic lesion.

However, a contrast-enhanced CT performed one month after the first visit revealed a neoplastic lesion in front of the thyroid cartilage, and the patient returned to our department.

A submucosal laryngeal tumor was suspected before the surgery for the recurrent transverse colon cancer; therefore, considering the risk of airway obstruction and dissemination along the biopsy track, we proceeded with elective surgery for the recurrent transverse colon cancer.

Subsequently, fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) performed from the anterior neck, revealed class V, SCC, or suspected adenocarcinoma.

No cervical lymph node metastasis was observed, and total laryngectomy was performed.

Three months after the patient’s first visit, histopathology confirmed adenocarcinoma and metastasis from transverse colon cancer. At seven months after the operation, while no local recurrence was observed, brain metastasis was found, and the patient was transferred to another hospital.

In conclusion, if a metastatic submucosal laryngeal tumor is suspected, it is important to carefully select the biopsy method.