Transoral laser microsurgery as primary treatment for selected T3 glottic and supraglottic cancers

Background T3 laryngeal cancer encompasses heterogeneous lesions whose treatment is still debated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) in management of selected T3 glottic and supraglottic cancers. Methods Fifty-six patients with selected T3 glottic and supraglottic squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) treated by TLM ± selective neck dissection ± adjuvant therapy were evaluated in terms of overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and organ preservation rates. Results For the entire cohort, 5-year OS and DFS were 63.3% and 72.4%, whereas they were 65.2% and 72.9% for glottic and 59.3% and 76.3% for supraglottic SCC, respectively. No patient required permanent tracheostomy and 1 patient was gastrostomy tube-dependent at last follow-up. Conclusion TLM ± selective neck dissection ± adjuvant (chemo)radiotherapy for selected T3 glottic and supraglottic SCC represents an effective alternative treatment to open partial laryngectomies and nonsurgical organ preservation protocols, particularly in elderly and frail patients.