SURVIVAL OUTCOMES IN EARLY GLOTTIC CARCINOMA; A SINGLE INSTITUTION EXPERIENCE

Purpose: Laryngeal cancers are among the most common cancers affecting head and neck region. In this study, we analyze the overall survival following hypofractionated radiotherapy in early stage glottic carcinoma treated at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore. Methods: Between October 2003 to June 2009, 87 patients with early stage glottic carcinoma were treated with hypofractionated radiotherapy. All patients were included in the study. Male 94% : Female 6%. Mean age was 62 years (range 31-83 years). 66% of the patients were smokers. AJCC stage was T1a in 76%, T1b 20% and T2 in 4% of the patients. Histological distribution; Squamous cell carcinoma 97%, Verrucous carcinoma 2%, squamous cell spindle variant 1%. Median follow up time was 59 months (range 4-122 months). Radiotherapy dose was 55 Gy in 20 fractions over a period of 4 weeks. Median radiotherapy treatment time was 28 days (range 23-35 days). Patients that lost to follow up were contacted via telephone. Results: The 10 years overall survival (OS) was 83%. Patterns of failure; 7 local, 1 distant while 1 patient had persistent disease.15 patients were dead at the time of study. Cause of death; 13 patients due to Ischemic heart disease and 2 due to primary disease. Conclusion: Hypofractionated radiotherapy 55 Gy in 20 fractions seems to achieve good overall survival while offering potential for optimizing resources usage. Key words: Hypofractionated, radiotherapy, overall survival, glottic carcinoma