A case of an aggressive supraglottic squamous cell carcinoma, which was managed with neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and radical surgery, is described. The post-operative course was of rapid deterioration and death due to progressive metastatic disease involving bone marrow and liver. This is the first reported case of bone marrow infiltration by squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck diagnosed ante-mortem. The incidence and pattern of metastatic disease from head and neck tumours is reviewed, and the importance of initial staging in determining the risk of distant metastatic disease is emphasised.