Five-year results of functional neck dissection for cancer of the larynx

Two hundred forty-two patients with a diagnosis of epidermoid carcinoma of the larynx were studied. All of them underwent surgery. One hundred sixty-one patients underwent functional neck dissection, with a total of 206 performed. Thirty-three patients underwent classic radical neck dissection, with a total of 35 performed. The overall 5-year neck tumor recurrence rate in the necks with functional neck dissection was 3.4%. Recurrences developed in 5.7% of fields protected by radical neck dissection. The overall recurrence rate in the surgically unprotected necks was 6.2%. Our results confirm that functional neck dissection is the procedure of choice in cases with NO disease and in cases with mobile nodes. From the oncologic viewpoint, functional neck dissection is a safe technique to treat the cervical spread from cancer of the larynx as long as its indications and technical characteristics are carefully observed.