Destructive tumours of the larynx mimicking osteosarcoma: two cases of osteoblastoma with organ-saving resection and follow-up

Osteoblastoma of the larynx is an extremely rare type of locally progressive and destructive tumour which is mimicking osteosarcoma radiologically and histologically. Since prognostic and therapeutic strategies for benign osteoblastoma differ from the more common osteosarcoma of the larynx, a meticulous pre-operative histological diagnosis is required to avoid over-therapy. We report about two patients with osteoblastoma of the larynx with organ-saving resection and long-period follow-up without tumour recurrence. A review of the literature detected five further osteoblastomas of the larynx, all in elderly men, like our observations. This situation is quite different from the usual osteoblastomas of bone, which occur in young adults of both sexes equally.