CO2 LASER TREATMENT OF SUPRAGLOTTIC CANCER

Abstract: Background. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of endoscopic CO2 laser microsurgery in the management of supraglottic cancer. Methods. One hundred twenty-four patients (116 men and eight women; mean age, 59 years; range, 31–81 years) with supraglottic cancer underwent CO2 laser surgery (mean follow-up 5 years). The study patients were classified as follows: 45 patients, T1N0M0; 61 patients, T2N0M0; and 18 patients, T3N0M0. According to the staging, the following procedures were adopted: epiglottectomy, resection of aryepiglottic fold or false vocal cord in T1 patients (group A); resection of the false vocal cord and adjacent structures in T2 patients (group B); and supraglottic laryngectomy in T3 patients (group C). Statistical comparison of survival parameters was carried out with Wilcoxon test, considering p <.05 the minimum significance value