Oncologic and Functional Outcomes of Supraglottic Partial Laryngectomy: 18 Years Experience

Park, Do Yang; Koo, Yong Cheol; Hong, Jae Min; Kim, Won Shik; Koh, Yoon Woo; Choi, Eun Chang

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Supraglottic partial laryngectomy (SPL), which provides the removal of selected tumors involving the upper structure of the glottis, shows equivalent oncologic outcome when compared to total laryngectomy with functional preservation. We report our 18-year experience of applying supraglottic partial laryngectomy in the Yonsei Head and Neck Cancer Clinic.
SUBJECTS AND METHOD
We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 78 patients who underwent SPL. We divided the patients into two groups, the early and the recent, and performed Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and chi2-test on the groups. The post-operative functional outcome was assessed.
RESULTS
The 3-year-disease-specific survival rate of the early and recent period was 87% and 84.6%, respectively. Decannulation and tolerability of an oral diet was possible in 93% and 95% of the earlier group, and 95% and 98% in the recent group, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in survival rate, recurrence pattern, decannulation and tolerability of oral diet between the two groups.
CONCLUSION
We achieved a satisfactory survival rate through SPL. In addition, almost all patients could be decannulated and eventually tolerated an oral diet. Our results confirm that SPL is an oncologically & functionally sound procedure for selected supraglottic tumors.