Cancer of the larynx in females.

PURPOSE

The aim of this paper is to present results of analysis of 102 females with laryngeal cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between 1974 and 1995, 102 female patients with cancer of larynx were treated at Radiotherapy Department of Oncology Centre in Kraków. Twenty-six of them had positive familial oncological history. The treatment method depended on stage of disease. Primary radical irradiation was performed in 66 patients, 29 patients received postoperative radiotherapy after surgery (total or partial laryngectomy), seven patients received induction chemotherapy followed by laryngectomy with postoperative radiotherapy or radical irradiation. The median dose applied with radiotherapy was 60 Gy, and dose per fraction was 2 Gy.

RESULTS

The actuarial 5-year rates were as follows: 88.9% for overall survival, 84.2% for disease-free survival, and 85.4% for local control. Only tumour stage and nodal involvement were found to be significant factor for all three endpoints. We found that younger patients had more supraglottic primary localisation, and these patients frequently were non-smoker.

CONCLUSIONS

The tumour stage and nodal involvement were found to be significant prognostic factors in analysed group of female treated with laryngeal cancer.