Radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy for patients with T1-T2 glottic carcinoma: retrospective analysis

BACKGROUND: To assess the results for local control (LC) and survival in patients with early-stage glottic cancer (GC) who were treated by radiotherapy (RT) with or without chemotherapy. METHODS: Fifty-eight patients with T1-T2 squamous cell carcinoma of the glottis who were treated between 2001 and 2006 were analyzed retrospectively. Potential prognostic factors for LC were evaluated by univariate analysis. RESULTS: The 5-year LC rate in all patients was 84.3%. The overall 5-year LC rates for patients with T1a, Tb, and T2 GC were 85.9%, 83%, and 85%, respectively. Of the 58 patients, eight developed recurrent disease at the primary site, and one had lymph node recurrences on the neck. In the final analysis, the total laryngectomy-free survival rate was 93% at five years, and the ultimate LC rates for T1a, Tb, and T2 were 100%, 90.9%, and 95.2%, respectively. In a univariate analysis of 55 patients, there was no statistical significance between the LC rate for RT alone and that for chemoradiation. Only two patients died of laryngeal carcinoma, and one died of intercurrent disease. Fifty-five patients were living disease-free at the end of the study period. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate for all patients was 88.1%, and the 5-year OS rates for T1a, Tb, and T2 were 91.6%, 77.8%, and 89.9%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The retrospective analysis showed a high rate of LC and larynx preservation in patients with T1-T2 GC by means of RT with or without chemotherapy. There was, however, no statistical difference in LC rates for the two types of therapy.