Treatment of T3 laryngeal carcinoma. Clinical evaluation after 50 Gy, is it of any value?

29 patients with T3 carcinoma of the larynx were evaluated after irradiation with 50 Gy with special emphasis on the mobility of the vocal cord. 10 of the patients with fixation of the vocal cord were assumed to have unsatisfactory response to treatment and were therefore advised laryngectomy. In 4 of the patients the fixation was due to fibrosis. One patient also had a fixed vocal cord, but was discarded from the investigation because of inoperable regional metastases. 18 patients with improved mobility of the vocal cord continued the irradiation to 70 Gy. 6 of these patients later developed local recurrences. It is concluded that the mobility of the vocal cord after 50 Gy is of dubious prognostic value.