Three hundred and fifteen patients with laryngeal cancer including 27 past-treated cases, were treated in our clinic from July 1978, to December 1982. Until December 1983, 70 patients died. Causes of death were original cancer (38 cases, 54.3%), additional malignancy (12 cases, 17.1%), intercurrent disease (17 cases, 24.3%) and others (3 cases, 4.3%). Of the primary 62 cases, 22 were classified as the supraglottic type, 30 as the glottic, 8 as the transglottic and 2 as the subglottic.
Deaths of original cancer were attributable to the metastasis to the cervical lymph node and/or distant metastasis, mainly to the lung. Deaths of intercurrent disease were due to mainly cerebral or cardiac disorders. Deaths of additional malignancy included cancer of the stomach, liver or lung.
Metastatic lymph nodes at the initial treatment were found in 62.5% of patients who died of laryngeal cancer. In order to improve survival rates, general control of the patients, early diagnosis and early treatment for additional malignancy and radical dissection of positive lymph nodes are seemed to be important.
