Survival Outcomes in Early Glottic Carcinoma; A Single Institution Experience

Abstract

Purpose: Laryngeal cancers are amongst the most common cancers affecting head and neck region. In this study, we analyse the overall survival (OS) following hypofractionated radiotherapy (RT) in early stage glottic carcinoma treated at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore. Methods: Between October 2003 and June 2009, 87 patients with early stage glottic carcinoma were treated with hypofractionated RT. All patients were included in the study. The ratio of male: female is 94%:6%. Mean age was 62 years (range 31–83 years). 66% of the patients were smokers. AJCC stage was T1a in 76%, T1b 20% and T2 in 4% of the patients. Histological distribution was; squamous cell carcinoma 97%, verrucous carcinoma 2% and squamous cell spindle variant 1%. Median follow-up time was 59 months (range 4–122 months). RT dose was 55 Gy in 20 fractions over a period of 4 weeks. Median RT treatment time was 28 days (range 23–35 days). Patients that lost to follow-up were contacted through telephone. Results: The 10-year OS was 83%. Patterns of failure was 7 local and 1 distant while 1 patient had persistent disease. 15 patients were dead at the time of study. Cause of death; 13 patients died due to Ischemic heart disease and 2 due to primary disease. Conclusion: Hypofractionated RT 55 Gy in 20 fractions seems to achieve good OS while offering potential for optimizing resources usage. Key words: Glottic carcinoma, hypofractionated, overall survival, radiotherapy