What are "vocal chord lesions"?

What are "vocal chord lesions"?

Jason Hamilton (Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon) gives expert video advice on: How do I know if I have a voice problem?; What is the treatment for vocal chord lesions? and more...

Vocal cord lesions is a broad category, and it encompasses benign conditions such as polyps or simple nodules that are caused from overuse of the voice, to cancers or infections by viruses, which cause ulcerations of the vocal cord. The reason the otolaryngologist terms them as a lesion is because it's almost impossible to tell from an examination with the eye what type of lesion we're dealing with, whether it be benign or cancerous. So typically, you'll be taken for a biopsy, and once a biopsy is done of that lesion, a diagnosis will be returned and we'll be able to categorize it as either being benign or cancerous.