Radiotherapy for laryngeal cancer in patients under 50 years old

Fifty-nine cases of laryngeal cancer treated by radiotherapy at the National Cancer Center Hospital between 1962 and 1990 were analyzed retrospectively. All the patients were less than 50 years old. The median total dose of the radiation delivered to the primary tumor site was 70 Gy. The overall 5-yr survival rate and 5-yr local control rate were 88% and 72%, respectively. Five (8.5%) of the 59 patients developed late recurrence more than five yr after initial treatment, but subsequent salvage operations were successful for disease control; three patients had T1 glottic cancer, one had T2-3 glottic cancer and one had T3N1 supraglottic cancer. Since the local control rate and the 5-yr survival rate after radiotherapy are satisfactory, radiotherapy, which allows both functional and esthetic conservation, has an important role in the treatment of laryngeal cancer in adults under 50 yr of age.