Complications of high dose preoperative irradiation for advanced laryngeal-hypopharyngeal cancer.

The authors studied 162 patients with advanced cancer of the laryngopharynx who were treated over the same period of time by standard techniques. High dose preoperative supervoltage irradiation to 5000 rads/5 weeks through large opposed lateral fields and a lower anterior neck field is not accompanied by a prohibitive increase in mortality or morbidity for patients with stage III-IV largynogopharyngeal cancer. Rescue surgery for recurrence after definitive irradiation can be accomplished.