Benefits and drawbacks of open partial horizontal laryngectomies, Part A: Early- to intermediate-stage glottic carcinoma

Background Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) accounts for 1.9% of cancers worldwide. Most of these are diagnosed in the early stages (T1–T2, and N0). For these, a larynx preserving/conserving option is preferable. Beyond transoral laser microsurgery (TLM), open partial horizontal laryngectomy is a function-sparing surgical technique used to treat laryngeal SCC. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical outcomes of 216 patients who underwent open partial horizontal laryngectomy for glottic cT2 laryngeal cancer. Results Five-year overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DFS), locoregional control, local control, laryngeal function preservation, and laryngectomy-free survival rates were 93.1%, 98.0%, 97.1%, 97.5%, 97.8%, and 98.5%, respectively. Disease controls were significantly affected by previous treatment and type of surgery used. Conclusion Although TLM for cT2 laryngeal cancer with unimpaired vocal cord mobility still represents a sound option, open partial horizontal laryngectomy offers higher local control and laryngeal preservation rates for selected patients with impaired mobility of vocal cords combined with involvement of the paraglottic space. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E333–E340, 2016