[Cancer of the larynx and 5 years survival]

Between the years 1971 and 1984, 428 patients with the diagnosis of laryngeal carcinoma were operated at the ENT Department of Virgen de la Arrixaca Hospital (Murcia, Spain). All of them submited to laryngectomy. The 5-years actuarial recurrence-free rate and its correlations with host factor are studied. That is to say: staging, histology of the primary lesion, incidence of lymph node metastasis and the treatment done. The overall 5-years actuarial recurrence free rate was 74 percent. The hard drinkers had a significative lower survival rate (53 percent) that no drinkers (81 percent). Glottic localization had better survival rate (83 percent) than supraglottic (68 percent). Both stages I and II had a survival rate of 87 percent. 70 percent stage III and only 41 percent the stage IV. Squamous cell carcinoma with good differentiation had a significative better prognosis (79 percent) in well differentiated and 58 percent when the differentiation were poor. Patients with metastasis in lymph nodes had lower survival rate (49 percent) than those without metastases (83 percent).