2001 Volume 13 Issue 1 Pages 5-10
This study investigated 54 cases of supraglottic carcinoma treated between 1982 to 1997 at our institute. The aims of present study were to review recurrent cases with supraglottic carcinoma and to study the problem of regional failure. We also compared the treatment outcomes of surgery with and without elective neck dissection in NO cases.
The minimum follow-up period was 24 months and the maximum was 177 months (mean 64 months). The five-year cause specific survival rate was 79.8%. The recurrence rate was 27.8%. Recurrence was lower in early stage patients than in those who were at an advance stage. The mean disease free period was 13 months in the recurrent cases. Patients who present neck metastasis have a shorter disease free period than those who are staged as NO. Nine of 15 recurrence cases were successfully treated by salvage surgery. Five of 6 (83.3%) recurrent patients in the NO neck treated by watchful waiting (without elective neck dissection) were successfully salvaged. Distant metastasis was a major cause of failure associated with death from cancer.
The success of salvage surgery depends on the strict diagnosis of NO, early detection of the recurrence, and intensive follow-up. In early stage NO cases treated by watchful waiting, surgical salvage was highly successful with our intensive follow-up method.
