Transoral laser microsurgery outcomes with early glottic cancer: the Dalhousie University experience.

OBJECTIVE

To report the results of transoral laser microsurgery for the treatment of early glottic cancer at our institution.

DESIGN

Cohort study. Retrospective review of charts of patients diagnosed with tumour stage 1 or 2 (early stage; no nodes or metastases), previously untreated, primary glottic cancer, treated with transoral laser microsurgery at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The minimum follow-up period was two years.

SETTING

Tertiary care head and neck cancer centre.

PARTICIPANTS

Fifty-three patients treated between January 2002 and November 2007.

OUTCOME MEASURE

Kaplan-Meier survival analysis for disease-free survival, overall survival and laryngectomy-free survival, at five years.

RESULTS

The group comprised 46 men and seven women, with a mean age of 66 years (range 30-84 years). Mean follow up was 40 months (range 12-89 months). There were four cases of complications (7.5 per cent). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed a five-year disease-free survival (including salvage) of 96.2 per cent, a five-year overall survival (all causes) of 88.8 per cent and a five-year laryngectomy-free survival of 98.1 per cent.

CONCLUSION

Transoral laser microsurgery is a safe and effective initial treatment for early laryngeal cancer, and has high rates of laryngeal preservation and disease-free survival.