Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Learning Modern Laryngeal Surgery in a Dissection Laboratory
Published on: March 18, 2020
Impact of treating facilities' volume on survival for early-stage laryngeal cancer
Amy Y Chen1, Alex Pavluck, Michael Halpern
1Department of Otolaryngology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. achen@emory.edu
Background:
Treatment at a high-volume facility has been associated with better outcomes in a variety of conditions. The relationship between volume and survival from laryngeal cancer has not been examined previously.
Methods:
A total of 11,446 early-stage laryngeal cancer patients (1996-1998) who reported to the National Cancer Database (NCDB) were analyzed. Proportional hazards regression was used to assess the relationship between survival and treatment volume controlling for other factors associated with survival.
Results:
Treatment at low-volume facilities was associated with a significantly increased likelihood of death (hazard ratio 1.20, 95% CI 1.04-1.38). Surgical resection, as compared with radiation treatment, was associated with lower mortality (HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.69-0.80).
Conclusion:
This study is the first to assess the relationship between survival and treatment volume in laryngeal cancer. Treatment at a high-volume facility is associated with better survival. Surgical treatment rather than radiation was also associated with better survival, although we could not control for confounders that may bias treatment selection.
Related Concept Videos
Treatment Resistant Cancers
Treatment Resistent Cancers
Cancer Survival Analysis
Cancer Therapies
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...