Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Intraoperative Assessment of Resection Margins in Oral Cavity Cancer: This is the Way
Published on: May 10, 2021
Resection margins and other prognostic factors regarding surgically treated glottic carcinomas
Alexander D Karatzanis1, Frank Waldfahrer, George Psychogios
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg Medical School, 91054 Erlangen, Germany.
Background And Objectives:
This study aims to assess the prognostic significance of free histopathologic margins in the surgical treatment of glottic cancer. Furthermore, it evaluates other prognostic factors regarding cases that receive surgical management for glottic lesions.
Methods:
A retrospective case-series study was conducted at an academic tertiary referral center. The files of 1,314 cases that underwent primary surgical treatment for glottic cancer were studied. Various prognostic factors, including age, surgical procedure, T classification, N classification, histological grade, and status of margins were assessed in univariate and multivariate analyses. All variables were investigated for their association with local and regional disease control as well as disease specific and overall survival.
Results:
Status of margins significantly affected disease specific survival and local control regardless of tumor stage in this series. All other variables assessed in the univariate analysis for their association with survival were also found to be significant. However, status of surgical margins and N classification were the only significant variables in multivariate analysis.
Conclusion:
The prognostic value of negative surgical margins for the treatment of glottic cancer cannot be overestimated. Responsibility of the surgeon during primary surgical treatment of glottic carcinomas is emphasized.