[Primary carcinoma of the subglottic larynx].

OBJECTIVES

Primary carcinoma of the subglottic larynx is very rare. This study was designed to evaluate patients who were treated for primary carcinoma of the subglottic larynx.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study included 15 patients (14 men, 1 woman; mean age 62.8 years; range 45 to 95 years) with primary subglottic carcinoma. Correlations of different clinical parameters with three-year survival rate and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were investigated.

RESULTS

On presentation, two patients (14%) had T1, five patients (33%) had T2, three patients (20%) had T3, and five patients (33%) had T4 tumors. The overall three-year survival rate was 73.4% (11/15). The median survival calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method was 45 months. No significant differences were found between the survival rates of patients with and without extralaryngeal extension.

CONCLUSION

Although primary subglottic cancer is locally aggressive with high tendency to extend to the extralaryngeal compartment at the time of diagnosis, high survival rates can be expected when appropriate treatment modalities are selected.