Salvage surgery after radiotherapy failure in T1–T2 squamous cell carcinoma of the glottic larynx

Abstract

There are few data in the literature regarding the clinical outcome of patients whose tumors are not controlled by initial radiotherapy. This series and previous publications from other institutions indicate that most patients who develop primary failure undergo salvage surgery, which is successful in approximately 50-80% of the patients. The rate of surgical complications is acceptable and is related to radiotherapy dose. At our institution, most patients who had recurrence after radiotherapy underwent total laryngectomy. More than 50% of the patients who experienced recurrence after irradiation originally had tumors of such extent that they would have required total laryngectomy if surgery had been recommended instead of radiotherapy for the initial treatment. It is reasonable to consider reirradiation in patients with a very high risk of local-regional recurrence after salvage laryngectomy.