Surgical treatment of the supraglottic laryngeal carcinoma

This is a retrospective analysis of 439 patients with supraglottic laryngeal cancer primary surgically treated in the period 1976-1999. The objectives of our study were to analyze the localizations as well as local and regional tumor spread, frequency of occult and palpable cervical metastases, the incidence of local and regional recurrences, five-year survival rate and functional results of supraglottic partial horizontal laryngectomies. A retrospective analysis of operated patients was carried out. T1 tumor was prevalent in 184 (42%) patients, T2 in 228 (52%) patients, and T3 tumor in 27 (6%) of cases. Clinically negative finding of the neck was found in 369 (84%) patients, and metastasis N1 was established in 70 (16%) patients. The patients with clinically negative cervical finding underwent selective neck dissection, while N1 metastasis patients were subjected to a selective or modified radical neck dissection. Five-year disease-free survival rate was 76% (334/439).