[Radiotherapy of laryngeal cancer]

The specific anatomical and biological situation of larynx cancer gives radiotherapy an important part in primary management of this tumour. In early stages (T1, T2) surgery and radiotherapy achieve equivalent survival, but with the latter, normal speech can be maintained in most cases. Treatment techniques for supraglottic and glottic cancers differ due to their different risk of lymphatic spread. Local relapse is between 10 and 30% depending on extent and localisation of the tumour, but 3/4 of these patients can be salvaged by surgery. In advanced laryngeal cancer a combination of surgery and irradiation is the mainstay of treatment. New radiation options, especially hyperfractionated irradiation, seem to achieve local control even in advanced disease. The good results of local treatment expose the considerable risk of second malignancies (particularly all lung cancer) in this group of patients.