Salvage (Total) Laryngectomy Rates Following Organ Preservation Strategies in India: Do We Have the Answer?

Abstract Laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers are among the top 20 cancers in India. Most of these patients present with stage III/IV cancer. Many among these patients may be suitable for the organ preservation protocol. There is sparse data from India on the regimen used for organ preservation strategies, and the salvage of the larynx for any failures after this. In this study, we attempted to identify the regimens used for organ preservation for laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer, the larynx preservation rates and the salvage laryngectomy rates for local/locoregional failures. We initially performed a literature search to identify what is available, followed by a survey to understand the present practice patterns and the results. The published literature showed that weekly cisplatin is being utilised for organ preservation strategies commonly, in contrast to the once in 3-week 100 mg/m 2 that were used in the landmark trials. The salvage laryngectomy rates reported in the literature ranged between 1.8 and 54%. Also, the survey had similar findings. The regimen used for organ preservation was not the one used in the landmark trials. The literature is limited concerning the reporting of the salvage laryngectomy rates following organ preservation strategies.