Surgical salvage for stomal recurrence: a multi-institutional experience

Recurrence of squamous cell cancer following total laryngectomy constitutes an extremely difficult therapeutic problem. Satisfactory management is elusive and frustrating to the head and neck oncologist. Various recommended therapeutic regimens include symptomatic treatment, palliation with chemotherapy and radiation, and aggressive surgical salvage. While surgery offers the only realistic chance at cure, this procedure is fraught with significant morbidity and a poor success rate. In an attempt to clarify the role of surgical salvage in these patients, experience with 57 patients with stomal recurrence presenting to three head and neck surgical groups will be presented. Forty-one of these patients subsequently underwent definitive surgery. The overall 2-year survival for operated patients was 16% with a 24% determinate survival. Further analysis revealed a 45% 5-year survival with type 1 and 2 lesions and 9% survival with types 3 and 4. Recommendations regarding indications for surgery are made based on this experience.