A consecutive series of patients with laryngeal carcinoma treated by primary irradiation

In Denmark there is an increasing frequency of laryngeal carcinoma, in particular in women and among these especially in supraglottic tumours. The incidence during the past 20 years has risen from about 40 to 60 cases per million per year. A series of 335 consecutive patients treated with primary radiation is presented. In one-third of all patients the tumour was localized in the supraglottic area; in women in more than half and in men in about one-fourth of the cases. The frequency of primary lymph node metastases in the supraglottic and the glottic tumours was 24% and 2% respectively. A multivariate analysis identified sex and tumour size as independent prognostic parameters of local control. Five-year survival corrected for intercurrent deaths was obtained in 59% of all cases, in 56% of supraglottic and in 92% of glottic tumours. A multivariate analysis defined localization, tumour grade and stage as independent prognostic parameters of survival. Salvage surgery was performed in about 32% of the cases, total laryngectomy in 26%, and partial laryngectomy in 6%. The survival rate among all total laryngectomies was 55%. A tracheostomy during or before radiation treatment prior to total laryngectomy had no influence on complication rate, admission time or recurrence rate. The frequency of pharyngo-cutaneous fistulae in the entire series was 11.5%; after routine use of metronidazol, however, only 5.7%. Radical neck dissection was carried out in 7.8% of the cases, by far most in the supraglottic group, only a few in the glottic carcinomas, in three-fourth in connection with a laryngectomy and in one-fourth without local recurrence in the larynx.