Primary organ preservation vs total laryngectomy for T4a larynx cancer.

BACKGROUND

There is a lack of consensus regarding the management of T4a larynx cancer. We evaluated the outcomes of organ preservation and laryngectomy for T4a laryngeal cancer.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of patients with T4a larynx cancer at BC Cancer from 1984 to 2014 was performed. Outcomes in patients treated with surgery alone (Sx) (n = 47), surgery with adjuvant radiotherapy (Sx/RT) (n = 94), radiation alone (RT) (n = 152), and radiation with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (chemoRT) (n = 36) were compared.

RESULTS

The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 40% for chemoRT, 34% for RT, 23% for Sx, and 45% for Sx/RT. On multivariate analysis (MVA), Sx/RT (hazard ratio [HR], 0.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.48-0.91) and chemoRT (HR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.26-0.72) were associated with better OS than RT alone (P = .001). Sx had similar OS compared to RT (HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.82-1.68).

CONCLUSIONS

ChemoRT and Sx/RT were associated with better OS compared to single modality treatment. ChemoRT may be considered as an option for T4a larynx cancer.