Review Article Functional Organ Preservation for Laryngeal Cancer: Past, Present and Future

Objective: Management of laryngeal cancer has focused on improving survival while pre-serving function. Over the past 20 years, the trends have shifted from surgery to chemo-radiotherapy and presently we are facing various challenges. It is imperative to re-examine what has happened and what can be done. Methods: Review of the literature along with our experience in the management of functional organ preservation for laryngeal cancer. Results: There was an increasing use of chemoradiotherapy with a decreasing use of surgery. Inappropriate patient selection along with inability to properly apply salvage surgeries have been presumed to be responsible for survival deterioration in laryngeal cancer. Reports concerning late adverse events after chemoradiotherapy are also increasing. Reconfirmation of the multidisciplinary team approach is imperative. Transoral laser microsurgery can be used for early laryngeal cancer and, in some experienced institutes, for advanced-stage cancers. Supracricoid laryngectomy demonstrated satisfactory oncologic and functional out-comes, based on our experience. Conclusions: Treatment selection for larynx preservation should not merely be decided b