Swing of the pendulum: optimizing functional outcomes in larynx cancer

For years, total laryngectomy was the only treatment option for patients with intermediate to advanced laryngeal cancer. Over the past two decades, great progress has been made in the management of this disease, with multimodality approaches aimed at laryngeal preservation reshaping the treatment landscape. In the era of chemoradiation, greater focus and attention are now directed toward functional laryngeal preservation--not simply "organ preservation." The continued development and integration of new treatment approaches, including organ preservation surgery (eg, transoral minimally invasive surgery of the head and neck, supracricoid partial laryngectomy), intensity-modulated radiotherapy, and targeted molecular therapies, offer the potential to improve clinical outcomes, function, and quality of life. Incorporation of these new approaches advances the concept of personalized medicine, with treatment strategies tailored to the circumstances and future of each patient.