Intermediate dose pre-operative radiotherapy for cancer of the larynx. - End results.

A retrospective study has been made of the role of intermediate (4500-5000 rads in five weeks) pre-operative radiotherapy in the treatment of advanced carcinoma of the larynx. The results of treatment in 72 cases treated at the University of Virginia have been analyzed with particular attention to local recurrences and complications. The local recurrence rate is comparable to that achieved with higher doses of pre-operative irradiation and the complication rate and the pre-operative level of radiation dose employed. Deaths from causes other than local recurrence indicate that a considerable number of patients die from a second primary or distant metastases even though the local disease has been controlled.