Prognostic factors for resected T3 laryngeal cancer identified

Italian researchers have identified several factors that predict disease-free and overall survival following resection of T3 N0 M0 laryngeal cancer with total laryngectomy.

Current staging systems do not include a variety of clinical and pathologic characteristics that could influence treatment results, lead author Dr. Oreste Gallo and colleagues, from the University of Florence, note. Among patients with T3 tumors, there is a need to define subgroups to facilitate more customized treatment approaches.In the current study, Dr. Gallo’s team assessed the prognostic utility of 16 clinicopathologic factors in 327 patients with T3 N0 M0 laryngeal cancer who underwent total laryngectomy. The researchers’ findings are published in the May issue of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. On multivariate analysis, increasing tumor size and grade, postoperative complications other than wound infection, and locoregional failure were predictive of decreased disease-free survival. In terms of overall survival, however, only tumor grade and locoregional failure were significant predictors.”Our study results confirm the existence of several prognostic factors representing clinical characteristics and tumor-related conditions that, if assessed at diagnosis, can be used to estimate levels of risk expectancy for optimizing treatment strategies,” the researchers conclude.(Source: Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2003;128:654-662: Reuters Health: May 21, 2003: Oncolink)