Selective local postoperative radiotherapy for T3-T4 N0 laryngeal cancer

Purpose We aimed to investigate the appropriate postoperative radiotherapy dose and selective volume in T3-4 N0 laryngeal cancer patients treated with either total or partial laryngectomy. Methods Patients who received radiotherapy for locally advanced (T3-T4) and pathologic node-negative (N0) squamous cell laryngeal cancer were retrospectively evaluated. Radiotherapy was applied to median 60 Gy (range 54-60 Gy) as selective local radiotherapy (+/- stoma). The local treatment areas included postoperative bed + laryngeal area for patients with a partial laryngectomy, and the postoperative bed only for patients with total laryngectomy. Results The median follow-up time was 59 months and 52 patients were included. The 2-year, 5-year, and 8-year locoregional recurrence controls (LRC) were 95.6%. The 2-year and 5-year OS rates were 93.8% and 78.9%, respectively. The 5-year OS for age < 60 years was 95.8%, for above 60 years 56.5%. Conclusion Our data suggest that local selective irradiation to the postoperative bed + stoma is enough in patients with T3-4 N0 laryngeal cancer without applying elective nodal irradiation.