Endoscopic CO2 laser excision for Tis, T1, and T2 glottic carcinomas: Curerate and prognostic factors

We present the results of a retrospective study based on a cohort of 140 pa tients who underwent endoscopic CO2 laser excision for previously untreated early glottic cancer (21 Tis, 96 T1, and 23 T2). This study used univariat e analysis to review the impact on disease-free survival of 15 factors rela ted to the host, the tumor, and the treatment. Recurrent cancer developed i n 28 patients with an average interval to recurrence of 37.5 months. Retrea tment consisted of different procedures, including laser excision, partial or total laryngectomy, and/or radiotherapy. The larynx was definitively pre served in 96% of patients. By the end of the study, 14 patients had died, b ut only 2 of them had died of the disease. Five-year overall survival and d eterminate survival were 93% and 98%, respectively. Ultimate local control at 5 years with CO2 laser excision alone was 95% for Tis, 87% for T1, and 9 1% for T2 lesions. Only involvement of the anterior third of the vocal cord (P = 0.02), involvement of the false vocal cord (P = 0.02), and infiltrati on of the vocalis muscle (P = 0.004) showed a significant negative impact o n disease-free survival.