Prevention of tracheal stoma recurrences after total laryngectomy by postoperative irradiation.

Patients with advanced glottic cancer, in whom there is extensive subglottic disease and/or low cervical lymph node metastasis, have a high incidence of recurrence in and about the tracheal stoma. Stoma recurrences can be prevented by immediate postoperative megavoltage radiotherapy when the stoma is included in the irradiated volume.