Laryngeal actinomycosis accompanying laryngeal carcinoma : report of two cases

Actinomycosis is a systemic chronic bacterial infection caused by Actinomyces israelii, an anaerobic organism normally resident in the human mouth. It can involve any organ, but cervicofacial disease is the most common. Laryngeal involvement is rare and usually occurs secondary to the oral, cervical or mandibular disease. There are only a few cases of primary laryngeal actinomycosis (LA) in the literature. Actinomycosis can also be a complication of head and neck surgery. Here we present two cases of LA accompanying laryngeal carcinoma and discuss in the literature about this event.