Laser therapy for T1 glottic carcinoma of the larynx

We treated 21 previously untreated T1 or tumor in situ squamous cell carcinomas of the true vocal cords by carbon dioxide laser excision. The mean follow-up was 42 months, with a range of 26 to 64 months. Recurrent vocal cord carcinomas, with an average interval to recurrence of 21 months developed in four patients. Three of the four recurrences involved the anterior portion of the true vocal cord, including the anterior commissure. One of the patients with recurrence was treated again with the laser, and the other three underwent radiotherapy. All four patients are alive and have retained their larynges. Laser excision of selected T1 and in situ carcinomas of the true vocal cords is a cost-effective and viable alternative to radiotherapy or more radical surgical therapy.