Survival Analysis of Elderly Patients With Laryngeal Cancer After Total Laryngectomy: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Objective This study investigates the overall survival (OS) of elderly patients who underwent total laryngectomy for laryngeal cancer (LC) and examines the impact of tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging on survival rates. Methods A retrospective cohort study utilized data from the Otorhinolaryngology Clinic at the University Hospital of Patras, including 75 elderly patients (>65 years) who underwent total laryngectomy for LC between 2000 and 2015. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier estimator, with comparisons made using the Log-rank test. Statistical significance was defined as the p-value being less than or equal to 0.05. Results Over the 16-year period, new LC cases were predominantly male (97.3%) with a mean age of 73.88 years (range: 65-89 years). Most patients were smokers (96%) and alcohol users (54.7%). Histologically, 18.7% of tumors were classified as poorly differentiated, 65.3% as moderately differentiated and 16% as well differentiated. Post-surgical TNM staging indicated 10.7% stage II, 37.3% stage III and 52% stage IV, primarily located in the glottis (62.7%) and followed by supraglottis (34.7%). All patients underwent total laryngectomy, with 69.3% and 37.3% receiving neck dissection and adjuvant therapy (chemotherapy or radiotherapy), respectively. During follow-up, 39 patients died, with 74.3% due to disease-related causes. Five-year OS rates were 44.6%, with variations by stage (stage II: 62.5%, stage III: 55.8%, stage IV: 32.4%; p=0.039) and age (65-75 years: 51.7%, >75 years: 34.7%; p=0.039). Conclusions TNM staging of the laryngeal cancer significantly influences the overall survival of elderly patients undergoing total laryngectomy for LC. Early diagnosis of the disease is crucial for patient survival.