Horizontal subglottic laryngectomy in treating cancers of the laryngeal vestibule and vallecula. Apropos of 65 cases

A retrospective review of 65 patients treated with supraglottic laryngectomy from 1980 to 1992 in the Department of Otolaryngology of Rennes was performed. Tumor localisation was vallecula in 38 cases and epiglottis in 27 cases. Functional and carcinologic results are studied for all patients, when base tongue is involved and for patients operated after radiotherapy. The 3 years survival rate was 62,2% and 5 years survival rate 44%. A local failure occurred in 15,4% and 4,6% developed cervical metastasis. Another neoplasm on superior aerodigestive tract is the first cause of death for epiglottis cancer. This data shows that conservative surgery is a higher effective method than radiotherapy for the treatment of small tumors of epiglottis.