10-Year Survival and Voice Preservation after Definitive Radiotherapy for T1--T2 Glottic Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in a Region of Conflict: A Single Institution Retrospective Report

Background and purpose: Early-stage laryngeal cancer represents a large proportion of cancer patients treated with definitive radiotherapy (RT). This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of radical RT for patients with T1-T2 cN0 laryngeal cancer at an institution in a developing country without adequate infrastructure and to address overall survival and voice preservation. Research has shown that radical RT should be performed as soon as possible after the diagnosis of early-stage laryngeal cancer if RT is selected as the main treatment. We evaluated the efficacy of this type of treatment despite the delay in its initiation.Methods: We reviewed the medical records of patients who had cT1-cT2/cN0 squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx treated with definitive RT from June 2009 to June 2020 and who had not undergone previous surgical treatment or chemotherapy.Results: The median age of the study population was 63 years, with a male predominance (94%). Histologically, all laryngeal cancers were confirmed to be squamous cell carcinomas, and 86% were glottic squamous cell carcinomas. The mean time from diagnosis until initiation of RT was 120 days (4 months). The median follow-up period was six years. Among the 53 patients enrolled, the 2-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 83%, 71% and 66%, respectively, during the follow-up period. The majority of the surviving population (97%) had good voice preservation.Conclusion: Despite these challenges, the results are promising. Definitive RT achieved an acceptable cure rate and voice preservation in patients with cT1-2 laryngeal carcinomas.