Abstract

ABSTRACT: We examined treatment and outcome variables in patients who had laryngeal cancer without clinical evidence of spread to the neck. In our patient population, there was a 24% overall recurrence rate for N0 laryngcal cancer. Initial manifestations, including stage and location of tumor, did not influence recurrence (P > .1). Initial treatment of the primary T3 or T4 tumor with radiotherapy alone was positively correlated with recurrence (P < .0 for T3 P< .0 for T4), but initial treatment of the neck did not appear to affect chance of regional or distant recurrence (P > .1). Approximately half of the patients who had recurrent disease were salvaged. Neither chance of salvage nor final disease-free status was significantly associated with any of the variables (P > .1).