Cancer of the supraglottic larynx: a review of 260 patients.

The treatment of supraglottic larynx cancer is still unsettled. The current concerns are the place of conservation surgery, the use of radiation for cure with surgery for salvage, and the management of neck metastasis. In 1976, we reported our experience with treatment of 221 patients with supraglottic cancer. At that time, the issue was the oncologic safety of the conservation operations. That review affirmed that these operations were safe and effective in properly selected patients. This article is on the study of an additional 260 patients treated in a subsequent period. The principal issues addressed in this review are (1) the frequency of recurrence at the primary site in all stages of supraglottic cancer treated surgically and (2) radical radiation with surgery for salvage. This study documents the oncologic effectiveness of the treatment of primary disease with surgery alone for stages I and II supraglottic cancer. For all stages of supraglottic cancer, this study further documents that the control of neck metastasis remains an unsolved problem.