Background: In T4a laryngeal cancer with thyroid cartilage invasion, no optimal frontline treatment has yet been defined in controlled trials.
Methods: We reviewed data from 89 patients with T4a laryngeal cancer featuring thyroid cartilage invasion who were treated initially with either total laryngectomy (n = 53) or a larynx-preservation strategy (n = 36).
Results: The median progression-free survival (PFS) of the total laryngectomy group had not been attained at the time of analysis and was thus significantly longer than that of the larynx-preservation group (8.7 months). The median overall survival (OS) of patients who underwent total laryngectomy was 87.2 months, significantly longer than that of the larynx-preservation group (31.3 months). The survival benefit of primary surgery compared to a larynx-preservation strategy was more striking in patients of lower N classifications.
Conclusion: Total laryngectomy may be a better therapeutic option to treat T4a laryngeal cancer featuring thyroid cartilage invasion, especially in patients exhibiting limited nodal involvement (N0/N1). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2016 © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38:1271-1277, 2016.
Keywords: cartilage invasion; laryngeal cancer; larynx preservation; prognosis; total laryngectomy.
© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.