Cause of death in patients receiving radical treatment of laryngeal cancer

Abstract

The case records of a consecutive series of 266 patients with laryngeal carcinoma who were given primary radical treatment between 2005 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. With a median follow-up of 44 months, 5- and 10-year overall survival rates were 77％ and 60％, while 5- and 10-year disease-specific survival rates were 89％ and 88％, respectively. There were 60 deaths in total, comprising 25 from cancer under study （including 7 from complications of treatment）, 30 from intercurrent diseases, and 5 from unknown causes. Twenty-five cases died of second malignancy, accounting for more than 40％ of total deaths. Multiple primary malignancies were observed in 41％ of all cases. Among the primary sites of secondary malignancy causing death, lung and upper digestive tract were the most and the second most common. Control of multiple primary malignancies and late toxicity of treatments may be important for improving survival rates.