Value of open horizontal glottectomy in the treatment for T1b glottic cancer with anterior commissure involvement.

BACKGROUND

The aim of the study was to evaluate the treatment outcomes in the group of 108 T1b glottic cancer patients with the anterior commissure involvement treated with open horizontal glottectomy and to compare them with transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) or primary radiotherapy (XRT) results from the literature review.

METHODS

Status of surgical margins, local and nodal recurrence, organ preservation and survival rates, functional outcomes were major end points of interest.

RESULTS

Recurrence rate was 16.7% and was correlated with histologically confirmed prelaryngeal node metastases. Salvage laryngectomy was performed in 10 patients, organ preservation rate was 90.7%. Mean survival was 41.9 months, while 5-year overall survival 97.2%.

CONCLUSIONS

Local control and survival rates presented by the authors are comparable or even better than in TLM procedures or XRT outcomes from the literature. Positive prelaryngeal lymph nodes constituted a significant prognostic factor for nodal and local recurrence in the analyzed group.