Type III Laser Surgery for T1a Glottic Carcinoma

Abstract

Early glottic caner is usually treated with radiotherapy. For untreated early laryngeal cancer, surgery including laser microsurgery can also be considered. The laser cordectomy procedure can be categorized into several types according to the depth of resection. One out of sixteen patients treated with type I (subepithelial) or type II (subligamental) laser cordectomy for untreated T1aN0M0 glottic cancer had a recurrence during the follow-up period. One in four patients treated with type III (transmuscular) laser cordectomy had a recurrence. Evaluation of postoperative voice with the voice handicap index-10 (VHI-10), voice-related quality of life questionnaire (V-RQOL) and visual analog scale (VAS) demonstrated comparable satisfaction between patients treated with type I or type II and patients treated with type III. These results suggest that type III laser cordectomy, in addition to type I and type II can be an optional treatment for T1a glottic cancer, providing satisfactory outcomes for control rate and postoperative voice quality.