Long-term trends in gender, T-stage, subsite and treatment for laryngeal cancer at a single center

To investigate the changes in the epidemiology of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) regarding gender, T-stage and subsite distribution, and to identify the potential effect of introducing new therapeutic alternatives for early and advanced stage LSCC. A prospective cohort study of LSCC patients diagnosed and treated at a single tertiary referral center in Norway. Retrospective analysis of prospectively recorded data from 1,616 patients treated for LSCC in all subsites of the larynx during 1983-2010. Females represented an increasing proportion of cases throughout the study (p < 0.01) and presented more often than men with supraglottic cancer (p < 0.01). Marked changes in the distribution of T-stages over time were observed in both early and advanced stage LSCC. T1a glottic tumors constituted 56 % of all early-stage LSCC and were predominantly treated by transoral endoscopic laser surgery. The introduction of chemoradiotherapy for advanced stage LSCC offers a distinct advantage for laryngeal preservation. The increasing proportion of females with LSCC may be explained by changes in smoking habits. The proportion of T1a glottic LSCC gradually increased over time, while T4 supraglottic LSCC became less frequent. Videostroboscopy should be considered mandatory in the diagnosis and follow-up of LSCC. Transoral laser microsurgery is the standard first-line treatment for T1a glottic tumors. Chemoradiotherapy has reduced the number of total laryngectomies and is now regarded as the primary treatment for advanced stage tumors.