Gender-Related Aspects of Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a predominantly male illness. Although the rate of female patients increased, a knowledge gap exists in the medical literature regarding gender-based differences.

Retrospective cohort study.

Adult patients treated for laryngeal SCC in a tertiary medical centre between 2006 and 2020. Data were collected on demographics, clinical presentation, treatment modalities, disease recurrence and survival status.

Two hundred ninety-one patients with laryngeal SCC, 50 (17.2%) females and 241 (82.8%) males.

Disease-specific survival (DSS), overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS), as well as differences in disease characteristics and treatment modalities.

Tumour subsites differed significantly between females and males (36% vs. 19.5% supraglottic, 62% vs. 80.5% glottic and 2% vs. 0% subglottic, respectively; p = 0.006). Females were diagnosed at younger ages (61.7 ± 10.58 vs. 65.87 ± 11.11 years, p = 0.016) and advanced-stage disease (58% vs. 39.4%, p = 0.018). Females were treated with combined modalities at higher rates (36% vs. 54.8% for single modality, p = 0.031). DSS rates did not differ between genders (log-rank p = 0.12). Despite being diagnosed at more advanced disease stages, females demonstrated prolonged median OS compared to males (130.17 vs. 106.17 months, log-rank p = 0.017). No significant differences in DFS were observed (log-rank p = 0.32). In a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model, male gender remained an independent negative OS predictor (HR = 2.08; CI, 1.10-3.96; p = 0.025), along with increasing age (HR = 1.06; CI, 1.04-1.09; p < 0.001) and advanced disease stage (HR = 1.7; CI, 1.08-2.67; p = 0.023).

Our findings suggest the importance of considering gender-specific factors in the management of laryngeal SCC.