[Results from 215 patients with laryngeal carcinoma treated with sole radiotherapy or with a combination of radiotherapy and operation (author's transl)].

Results of radiotherapy alone or in combination with surgery in 215 patients with laryngeal cancer are reported (treatment time between 1963 and 1976). In patients with glottic cancer, the cure rate is about 80% and surgical treatment for persistent/recurrent cancer was necessary only in a few cases. Analysis of tumor dose, tumor control rate and complication rate shows that in cases with glottic cancer a tumor dose between 1900 and 2000 ret is necessary and tolerable. In patients with supraglottic laryngeal cancer, the cure rate is about 55%. Early stages (T1N0M0) were mostly treated by radiotherapy alone, moderately advanced stages (T1N1,T2N0+1) mostly received radiotherapy as a primary treatment and were operated in case of irradiation failure. Advanced stages were primarily treated by a combined therapy, and by radiotherapy alone if they were inoperable. In early cases, who are to be treated by radiotherapy alone, the tumor dose should be about 1900 ret. In moderate cases, treatment by primary irradiation alone is possible, if the patient can be followed up regularly; surgery is indicated, if the patient cannot unequivocally be classified as symptomless. In some of these cases, there is no tumor demonstrable histologically in the excised larynx. In using this treatment policy, there is a better functional treatment result than in using primary combined treatment in moderately advanced cases with supraglottic laryngeal cancer.