Transoral laser microsurgery or total laryngectomy for recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx: Retrospective analysis of 199 cases

BACKGROUND: Surgical treatment options for local recurrences of laryngeal cancer can be either organ-preserving surgery or total laryngectomy. The purpose of this study was to present our evaluation of the treatment with transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) in comparison to laryngectomy. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of 199 consecutive patients with recurrent laryngeal cancer at 1 tertiary referral center. RESULTS: The 5-year overall survival, disease-specific survival, and local control rates were 64.8%, 79.6%, and 57.5%, respectively, for 93 patients with early tumors treated by TLM, 28.9%, 41.7%, and 43.7%, respectively, for 52 patients with advanced tumors treated by TLM as well as 39.4%, 44.6%, and 68.8%, respectively, for 54 patients with advanced tumors treated by total laryngectomy. Five-year larynx-preservation rate was 77.7% for early as well as 68.4% for advanced tumors treated by TLM. CONCLUSION: TLM is an option in early and in selected cases of advanced locally recurrent laryngeal cancer. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 1166-1176, 2017.