Mortality in laryngeal cancer surgery

UNLABELLED: The causes of death were studied in a series of 171 patients who died in a 5-year follow-up period, out of a total of 631 patients who underwent different surgical techniques for cancer of the larynx. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The case histories of 631 patients who had undergone surgery between 1974 and 1990 were reviewed; 83 did not have a 5-year follow-up and were excluded from the study. A descriptive and inferential statistical study was made of the remaining cases to determine the relation between cause of death and tumoral extension, primary location, degree of tumoral differentiation, surgical technique and other data. RESULTS: Ninety-one patients died from local or regional recurrence, 50 from distant metastases, 20 from diseases other than the tumor, and 10 from postoperative complications. These findings were studied with regard to factors such as tumor extension, location, surgical technique, etc. CONCLUSIONS: The main cause of death in surgery for cancer of the larynx was recurrence, either local, on the tumor bed (62 patients) or regional (29 patients). The mortality rate was higher in older patients, patients with lymph-node involvement in the postoperative histological study, and patients with less differentiated histological forms.