Laryngeal cancer occurs in the larynx, or voice box.The larynx is a short, triangular passageway just below the pharynx in the neck. It is about 2 inches wide.The larynx has three main parts:the glottis is the middle part of the larynx that contains the vocal cordsthe supraglottis is the tissue above the glottisthe subglottis is the tissue below the glottis that connects to the trachea, which takes air to the lungsCancer can develop in any part of the larynx but usually begins in the glottis. Most laryngeal cancers start in the flat, scale-like squamous cells that line the inner walls of the larynx.