The Impact of Tumor Volume on Treatment Outcomes for T4a Laryngeal Cancers

Abstract

Objectives:

Investigates the impact of tumor volume on treatment outcomes for T4a laryngeal cancer patients.

Methods:

A retrospective chart review was conducted from October 2002 to September 2010. Sixty-two T4a laryngeal cancer patients treated with laryngectomy or concurrent chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) were enrolled. Tumor volume was calculated using imaging software and was correlated with the survival data.

Results:

In the CRT group, the 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were significantly lower in those patients whose tumor was larger than 14 cm3 (20.7% vs. 52.6%, P = 0.008; 35.5% vs. 63.4%, P = 0.008). For patients whose tumor volume was larger than 14 cm3, laryngectomy provided a significantly higher 5-year OS (72.7% vs. 20.7%, P = 0.039) than CRT.

Conclusions:

Patients with T4a laryngeal tumors larger than 14 cm3 had a poorer treatment outcome after CRT than total laryngectomy. Thus, laryngectomy is preferable for this subset of patients.