Panendoscopy during follow-up in laryngeal carcinoma patients after radiotherapy

Early detection of a recurrent disease remains essential during follow-up to improve outcome and reduce morbidity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adequacy of panendoscopy after radiotherapy for recurrent laryngeal carcinoma.

In this retrospective analysis, 623 patients were included. Clinical and radiological examinations were compared to pathohistological results of panendoscopy and clinical outcome.

In the first 6 months after therapy, a negative histopathological result was significantly higher in patients after radiotherapy (n = 394) compared to patients after surgery (n = 195) alone (odds ratio [OR] 0.4424, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.2081-0.969, P = .05). After radiotherapy, a suspicious radiological result was not significantly linked to recurrence (OR 1.461, 95% CI 0.7126-3.021, P = .37). Clinical investigation was the best predictive parameter for detecting recurrent disease after radiation therapy (OR 4.061, 95% CI 2.268-7.113, P = <.0001).

Our results suggest that in the first 6 months after radiotherapy, emphasis should be placed on clinical evaluation during follow-up.