Endoscopic laser surgery for laryngeal cancer

Endoscopic laser surgery is a novel treatment modality for laryngeal cancer . CO2 laser combined with an operating microscope is the most frequently us ed instrumentation. In Finland we started large-scale laser surgery in 1994 in all five university hospitals, covering a population of about five mill ion people. By 1998 we had operated on 140 patients, of whom 11 were female s. Eighty-three per cent of the lesions were glottic. Because of the low nu mber of stage III-IV patients, the recurrence and survival analyses include d 132 patients with in situ, stage I or stage II tumours, numbering 8, 96 a nd 28 respectively. The mean follow-up time was 38 months. The 2-year recur rence frequencies were 5% for stage I, 31% for stage II, and 11% altogether . No patients developed recurrences after 2 years. Seven patients underwent a salvage laryngectomy and the adjusted cumulative survival rate was 95%. After laser surgery the quality of voice was good or excellent in 70% and o nly three patients suffered from severe aphonia. This study showed that the results of endoscopic laser surgery are comparable with those of radiation therapy, but this type of treatment is more convenient for the patients an d much cheaper for society.