CO 2 laser surgery in elderly patients with glottic carcinoma: Univariate and multivariate analyses of results

Background There are limited data on the role of laser‐assisted surgery for early glottic cancer in elderly patients. Methods This retrospective study was conducted on a series of 130 consecutive cases of early glottic carcinoma occurring in elderly patients (>65 years old) treated with CO 2 laser surgery. Results The overall and disease‐specific survival rates were 87.7% and 99.2%, respectively. The rates of local disease control after primary laser surgery, ultimate local control with laser alone, and laryngeal preservation were 84.6%, 93.8%, and 96.9%, respectively. A shorter disease‐free survival (DFS) was associated with the involvement of 1 or more specific laryngeal regions (arytenoids, ventricle, anterior commissure, vocal muscle, subglottis) ( p = .01) and the status of the surgical margins ( p = .002); on multivariate analysis, only the latter remained prognostically significant vis‐à‐vis the DFS ( p = .002). Conclusions Even in elderly patients with early glottic carcinoma, endoscopic laser surgery is an effective treatment. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck , 2012