If you have a large or advanced stage laryngeal tumour, you may need open surgery to remove part or all of your larynx. Your surgeon may also need to remove some of your lymph nodes nearby. In a total laryngectomy, your surgeon separates your windpipe from your larynx and joins it to an opening(stoma) in your neck. After a partial laryngectomy your voice will be weaker or more hoarse than it was before. You may need to have a tube called a tracheostomy inserted through the front of your neck to help you breathe. This is usually only temporary, until your larynx has healed. If you have a total laryngectomy, it will affect the way you breathe, speak and swallow.
Attribution: BUPA