Radiotherapy and Radiochemotherapy for T3 and T4 Carcinoma of the Larynx

Abstract

Patients with T3 or T4 lesions of the larynx were given radiotherapy or radiochemotherapy. In 47 patients the vocal cords were fixed, the treatment restored vocal cord mobility in 35 of them. In 41 of the 55 patients treated, visual inspection showed disappearance of the tumor.
If recurrence of a tumor was noted during the course of observation, salvage surgery was performed. Salvage surgery was not needed in 32 (68%) of the 55 patients.
The 5-year survival rates were 78.6 & for T3 patients with glottic lesion, 68.8% for T3 with supraglottic lesions and 85.1% for with T4 supraglottic lesions. Salvage surgery was succesful in one patient with subglottic cancer (T3N0M0).
These results indicate that radiotherapy or radiochemotherapy is effective in the treatment of T3 and T4 lesions of the larynx.