EARLY-STAGE GLOTTIC CARCINOMAS - EFFECT OF TUMOR LOCATION AND FULL-LENGTH INVOLVEMENT AN LOCAL TUMOR RECURRENCE AFTER RADIATION-THERAPY

PURPOSE: To correlate tumor location along the vocal cord with local c ontrol in stage I and II glottic carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six ty-five patients with stage I and 18 patients with stage II glottic ca ncer were irradiated with 4-MV x rays. Most patients received a total of 64-66 Gy, at a dose of 1.8-2.0 Gy/d. RESULTS: In stage I tumors, lo cal-control probability was 96% +/- 2 (standard deviation); in stage I I tumors, 67% +/- 15. When stages I and II were considered together, t umors that involved the full length of the vocal cord were more likely to recur (P = .069). In stage I tumors, treatment with <2.0 Gy/d was statistically significantly (P = .038) associated with local recurrenc e. CONCLUSION: Poor outcome after irradiation could not be predicted w ith involvement of either the anterior commissure or posterior third o f the vocal cord. Risk of tumor recurrence increased with full-length involvement, and in st-age I tumors, with a daily fraction <2.0 Gy.