Retrospective Review on Role of Neck Dissection in Laryngectomy of Patients With N0 Laryngeal Carcinoma

OBJECTIVES: The primary objective is to evaluate the incidence of occult nodal metastasis in patients undergoing total laryngectomy with cN0 disease. Other objectives are to compare the survival between different treatments of the neck, identify possible associated risk factors, and evaluate the effectiveness of elective neck dissection in this population with regards to oncological outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review. SETTING: Tertiary hospitals in Hong Kong. METHODS: Retrospective study was performed on patients who underwent total laryngectomy from 2008 to 2017 in New Territories West and Hong Kong West Clusters of the Hospital Authority of Hong Kong as primary or salvage treatment for cN0 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the larynx. Incidence of neck dissection, incidence of nodal involvement, possible predictors, and oncological outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Seventy-seven patients were included, of whom 61 underwent either ipsilateral or bilateral neck dissection. Most (90.1%) of the patients with total laryngectomy done had locally advanced disease. Overall occult nodal metastasis rate was 20.6%, and only 3.8% of them had contralateral nodal metastasis. Occult nodal metastasis was significantly less in salvage laryngectomy (P = .045), while midline involvement and pT3/4 disease seem to be predictors for contralateral nodal metastasis. CONCLUSION: There is significantly lower incidence of occult nodal metastasis in cN0 laryngeal SCC in the salvage setting, and occult contralateral nodal metastasis is not common in the cohort. Neck dissection during a salvage laryngectomy for cN0 disease could be avoided while contralateral neck dissection might be considered in cases of locally advanced disease with midline involvement.