Surgery or radiotherapy for early stages carcinomas of the glottic larynx

Aims and background: The choice of treatment in limited squamous cell carcinoma of the glottic larynx often depends on individual and tumor factors. Data of the literature clearly show that surgery and radiotherapy tend to give identical results in terms of survival. We examined 196 cases of T1-T2/N0 cancers of the glottic larynx. We review the literature and discuss the indications and the efficacy of the various available treatments. Methods and study design: 196 consecutive cases of T1-T2/N0 cancers of the glottic larynx were examined. In 54.5% the tumor was confined to the vocal cord; in 38.2% it extended to the anterior commissure, in 4.6% to the arytenoid cartilage and in 2.5% to the floor of the ventricle. We performed partial laryngeal surgery in 41.3% (81 cases). Radiotherapy alone was employed in 58.6% (115 cases). Results: In T1a and T1b cases there was no statistically significant difference in 5-year disease-free survival. In T2 cases the NED survival of patients who underwent partial laryngectomies (90% of cases) was significantly better (P