Tracheostomy and peristomal recurrence

Emergency tracheostomy prior to laryngectomy for laryngeal carcinoma has been associated with peristomal recurrence. Is the peristomal recurrence caused by the tracheostomy per se, or is it due to the association of tracheostomy with subglottic tumours and locally advanced tumours? This study examines the association between tracheostomy. as an independent variable, and peristomal recurrence. Forty-three patients with T₃ glottic carcinomas and treated by a combinationof total laryngectomy and radiotherapy were studied. The difference in peristomal recurrence between the tracheostomy and non-tracheostomy patients was not statistically significant. Nor was there a correlation between the time interval between tracheostomy and laryngectomy, and the incidence of peristomal recurrence. It is concluded that tracheostomy, as an independent variable, does not cause peristomal recurrence.     

"Emergency" laryngectomy and stomal recurrence

The data on 281 patients who underwent surgical therapy for laryngeal carcinoma from 1976 through 1984 were reviewed, revealing 16 patients who presented with an impending obstruction of the airway that was treated by an "emergency" laryngectomy. A review of the patients in our series did not reveal any serious complications from the procedure and it has allowed effective management of these advanced neoplasms. In addition, 10 patients who developed peristomal recurrences were reviewed. Preoperative factors such as location of lesion, antecedent surgery, and previous radiation therapy were assessed and compared to the patients who underwent "emergency" laryngectomy in an attempt to further define risk factors involved in peristomal recurrence. A strong association with subglottic extension was noted. Also associated in this review was antecedent full-course radiation therapy.     

Near-total laryngectomy for laryngeal carcinomas with subglottic extension

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether Pearson classic near-total laryngectomy is a sensible surgical treatment modality for laryngeal carcinomas with subglottic extension. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of patients treated by near-total laryngectomy in a university hospital that is an academic tertiary health care center. PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTION: Medical and computer records of 135 patients who were treated by near-total laryngectomy for laryngeal and hypopharyngeal carcinomas between April 1, 1989, and June 30, 2000, were searched thoroughly, and the final outcomes were confirmed by telephone contact. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Survival rates of the patients with laryngeal carcinomas with subglottic extension treated by near-total laryngectomy were compared with those of the patients with malignancies of other laryngeal regions given the same treatment. RESULTS: Of the 135 patients in the study, 74 were available for determination of 5-year survival. The rate was 65.8% (27/41) for transglottic tumors, 53.8% (7/13) for supraglottic tumors, and 20.0% (4/20) for tumors with subglottic extension. Only 3 of 16 patients with laryngeal carcinomas with supraglottic or transglottic localization died of local recurrence; the rest of the deaths were from regional recurrence or distant metastasis. However, 6 of 13 patients with subglottic extension died of local recurrence, 5 of peristomal recurrence, and only 2 of distant metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: Success was directly related to adherence to precise indications in cancer surgery. While near-total laryngectomy is an effective and reliable treatment modality in laryngeal cancer surgery, its effectiveness in laryngeal cancers with subglottic extension is debatable. These subglottic lesions should be treated by total laryngectomy, which is a more radical surgery.     

全喉切除术后气管造口复发癌

目的探讨喉癌、下咽癌全喉切除术后气管造口复发癌病因、诊断及治疗,提出气管造口复发癌预防措施。方法回顾性分析16例喉癌、下咽癌全喉切除术后气管造口复发癌临床资料,对比手术和非手术治疗的效果。结果16例气管造口复发癌全喉切除术前均有肿瘤声门下侵犯,5例术后切缘阳性;手术治疗11例,5例术后病理证实为淋巴结转移;术后生存5～68个月,4例（4/9）存活3年以上;放射治疗或未治疗5例,生存3～7个月;手术明显延长生命（P<0.01）。结论气管造口复发癌病因可能与肿瘤残存、种植、淋巴结转移、肿瘤分化有关;预后差,应重在预防。全喉手术肿瘤的彻底切除,标本切缘的显微监控,精细的颈淋巴清扫手术是降低本病发生率的重要保证。     

全喉切除术后气管造口复发癌

目的 探讨喉癌、下咽癌全喉切除术后气管造口复发癌病因、诊断及治疗，提出气管造口复发癌预防措施。方法 回顾性分析16例喉癌、下咽癌全喉切除术后气管造口复发癌临床资料，对比手术和非手术治疗的效果。结果 16例气管造口复发癌全喉切除术前均有肿瘤声门下侵犯，5例术后绝缘阳性；手术治疗11例，5例术后病理证实为淋巴结转移；术后生存5－68个月，4例（4／9）存活3年以上；放射治疗或未治疗5例，生存3－7个月；手术明显延长生命（P＜0．01）。结论 气管造口复发癌病因可能与肿瘤残存、种植、淋巴结转移、肿瘤分化有关；预后差，应重在预防。全喉手术肿瘤的彻底切除，标本切缘的显微监控，精细的颈淋巴清扫手术是降低本病发生率的重要保证。     

Stomal recurrence--etiologic factors and prevention

Out of a total of 340 laryngectomies performed in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Kobe University Hospital from 1969 to 1982, there were 20 stomal recurrences. In the preoperative tracheostomy group, 6 out of 52 patients (11.5%) developed stomal recurrence compared to 14 out of 288 (4.9%) in the operative tracheostomy group. Of these 20 stomal recurrences, 7 were supraglottic with 1 subglottic extension, 9 were glottic with 8 subglottic extensions, and 4 were primary subglottic cancers. The mean interval between the laryngectomy and stomal recurrence was 16 months and ranged from 20 days to 55 months after laryngectomy. We analyzed our series together with recent material which had been subjected to pretracheal and paratracheal lymphatic dissection. Reports from the literature were also used. Tumor cell inoculation in the tracheostomy wound and persistent pretracheal and paratracheal lymph node lesion are the two most likely major etiologic factors. The above evaluation leads us to propose the following preventive measures: 1) thorough irrigation of the wound following the removal of the larynx, 2) complete excision of the tracheostomy tract for preoperatively tracheostomized patients, 3) pretracheal and paratracheal lymphatic dissection for subglottic lesion, 4) in the above cases, laryngectomy should be followed by peristomal radiotherapy.     

Local recurrences following transoral laser surgery for early glottic carcinoma: frequency, management, and outcome

Although transoral laser surgery (TLS) for the treatment of early stage glottic carcinoma is now widely used, the patterns of local recurrences, related re-treatment methods, and results have not been documented comprehensively. Two hundred fifty-two patients with glottic carcinoma stage I or II were treated for cure with TLS alone and followed up for 24 to 139 months (mean, 62 months). Their charts were retrospectively reviewed to identify local recurrence patterns. Thirty-five patients (13.9%) presented with local recurrences or second laryngeal primaries 4 to 84 months (mean, 23 months) after initial treatment. Of the 161 patients classified T1N0M0, 21 (13.0%) suffered local recurrences, and in the 91 classified T2N0M0, 14 (15.4%) tumors recurred. If tumors recurring more than 60 months after initial treatment are considered second primary tumors rather than recurrences, then only 18 (11.2%) of 161 patients classified T1N0M0 would have had a recurrence. However, the difference in local control between patients with stage I versus stage II disease would still not be significant (p = .41). Of the 35 patients with local recurrences, 16 (45%) were managed with total laryngectomy, 10 (28.6%) with further TLS, 4 (11.4%) with partial laryngectomy, and 2 (5.7%) with radiotherapy, and 3 (8.6%) had no curative treatment. Accordingly, 16 patients (45.7%) with local treatment failure could be treated with further organ-sparing treatment methods. The actuarial overall survival, disease-specific survival, and organ preservation rates 5 years after the diagnosis of recurrent disease were 43.6%, 74.6%, and 33.7%. Transoral laser surgery leads to local control rates that are comparable to those found after radiotherapy for lesions classified T1 and leads to slightly better control rates for lesions classified T2, but the results are inferior to those achieved with conventional partial laryngectomy. However, if local recurrence occurs, then more re-treatment options are available after TLS as compared to initial radiotherapy or open surgery.     

Comprehensive analysis of pharyngeal recurrence of laryngeal carcinoma after total laryngectomy

Purpose: This study analyzes the incidence, risk factors, treatment results, and prognosis of local recurrence at the pharynx after total laryngectomy for laryngeal carcinoma.Patients and Methods: The records of 292 patients who underwent total laryngectomy for the treatment of laryngeal carcinoma between January 1978 and December 1990 were reviewed.Results: Of these 292 patients, there were 24 patients who developed local recurrence at the pharynx. The 5-year actuarial cumulative local recurrence rate was 10%. There were 17 cases of pharyngeal recurrence alone, five cases of pharyngeal and nodal recurrence, one case of pharyngeal and tracheostomal recurrence, and one case of pharyngeal and distant metastasis. Ten (42%) patients were salvaged surgically; the 5-year actuarial survival rate after surgical salvage was 53%. The other 14 patients were treated with palliative treatment, and all died of tumor, with the longest period of survival being 28 months.Conclusion: Surgical salvage of pharyngeal recurrence has acceptable results. Close monitoring of patients is important to have an early diagnosis of salvageable recurrence.     

Partial laryngeal surgery in recurrent carcinoma

With the growing acceptance of nonsurgical therapies for laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas (LSCCs), it has become important to delineate surgical salvage strategies for disease recurrences. Total laryngectomy is often recommended, but appropriately selected laryngeal recurrences may be treated successfully with partial laryngeal surgery: laryngeal function can be preserved with oncological efficacy. The main available studies dealing with partial laryngeal surgery in recurrent carcinoma were critically reviewed. The most appealing feature of salvage transoral laser surgery (TLS) is the opportunity to make tumor-tailored excisions without any reconstructive limitations and retaining the option to switch to open partial laryngectomy. A recent detailed review of 11 series found a pooled local control rate of 57% after a first TLS procedure. Supracricoid laryngectomy (SCL) seems to achieve good local control rates in selected cases of recurrent supraglottic-glottic carcinoma: one review considering seven series calculated that 85% of the patients treated with salvage SCL after radiotherapy experienced no local recurrence; and total laryngectomy after failure of salvage SCL afforded an overall local control rate of 65%. Neck dissection is mandatory in all cases of local LSCC recurrence with evidence of neck metastases, and routine elective neck dissection is recommended for recurrent supraglottic and transglottic cancers.     

气管造口复发癌的处理

目的探讨气管造口复发癌的治疗方法.方法对中国医学科学院肿瘤医院1994年6月～2001年8月诊治的23例气管造口复发癌的临床资料进行了回顾性的分析.外院转来病例20例,本院3例.分析复发的原因,探讨不同手术的可行性,对比手术和非手术治疗的效果. 结果 23例气管造口复发癌中,未行手术病例5例,均在1～6个月死亡,平均存活5.7个月.接受手术18例中,随诊6个月～7年2个月,生存超过6个月的16例,1年生存率40.7%,3年生存率20.4%.术后咽瘘6例,其中1例伴有颈总动脉大出血,抢救成功;1例伴有皮瓣局部坏死,术后1周颈总动脉破裂大出血死亡;1例偏瘫昏迷后抢救成功,并同时皮瓣局部坏死.秩和检验,手术患者的生存时间与未手术者差异有显著性(t=17,P<0.05).结论气管造口复发癌预后极差,应注意预防.气管造口复发癌与声门下侵犯、喉前气管食管沟淋巴结转移、局部肿瘤残存和种植有关.对适合的病例行适当的手术治疗,可延长患者生命,减少痛苦,提高生存质量.     

气管造口复发癌的处理

OBJECTIVE: To study effective prevention and treatment of stoma recurrence after laryngectomy. METHODS: A retrospective review of 23 patients with stomal recurrence after laryngectomy was conducted. Among all 23 cases, 20 cases were referred to Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Science from other hospitals. The etiopathology of stomal recurrence after laryngectomy, feasibilities of various kinds of operative treatment and outcomes of clinical management in this series were analyzed. RESULTS: The subglottic extension and invasion of paraglottic portion of laryngeal cancer and peritreacheal metastasis may result in stomal recurrence. The survival period of 18 cases surgically treated was longer than that of 5 cases untreated or irradiated and/or chemotherapied. The 1- and 5-year survival rates were 40.7% and 20.4%, respectively. The common complication was pharyngeal fistula. Surgical treatment may relieve local pain, improve breathing, resume swallowing and decrease cancer ulcer bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: The overall prognosis of peristomal recurrence after laryngectomy was awful and dismal. Prevention should be stressed in surgical treatment of the subglottic extension, invasion of paraglottic portion and peritreacheal node metastasis. A proper surgical treatment in some cases of stomal recurrence would prolong the lifetime and advance the life quality of the patients.     

喉癌及下咽癌手术后咽瘘的治疗及预防

目的 探讨喉癌、下咽癌手术后并发咽瘘的治疗和预防措施。方法 喉癌手术后并发咽瘘5例,其中2例行胸大肌皮瓣修补术;下咽癌手术后并发咽瘘11例,其中2例行咽瘘缝合术。结果 喉癌术后咽瘘5例,3例经换药愈合,2例巨大咽瘘,其中1例行胸术肌皮瓣修补术,未愈合又行咽瘘缝合愈合,另1例第1次胸大肌皮瓣修补后失败,安装硅橡胶管后恢复正常饮食,6个月后行二次胸大肌皮瓣修补愈合。下咽癌术后咽瘘11例,经换药2～4周愈合9例,另2例经换药4周,局部炎症已控制,瘘口缩小为1～2cm,行咽瘘缝合术愈合。结论 喉癌、下咽癌术后并发咽瘘,是该手术的严重并发症之一。多数经换药治愈,少数病例必须行咽瘘修补术。应在手术前、手术中及手术后采取一些必要措施预防咽瘘。     

Désobstruction laryngée au laser CO2

Options in the management of a patient with an obstructive laryngeal tumour include tracheotomy proximal to the tumour, emergency intubation followed by total laryngectomy, endoscopic laser debulking procedure. Previous tracheotomy procedures have been associated with an increased infection rate after total laryngectomy and an increased incidence of peristomal recurrence. Emergency total laryngectomy was usually carried out after a limited local, regional, metastatic and general assessment. The advent of carbon dioxide laser in the end of the 70’s has permitted the development of endoscopic laryngeal debulking. This technique is now well codified and commonly utilized; it permits to secure the airway and, most of the time, to avoid emergency tracheotomy. It may be repeated if necessary, and does not jeopardize subsequent definitive treatment. Laryngeal laser debulking can be utilized as pre-treatment in the airway management, for the implementation of a chemotherapy, and a better nutritional and psychological preparation of the patient for surgery or radiation therapy. It can also be utilized as a palliative procedure avoiding tracheotomy and resulting in a better quality of life.     

声门型喉癌部分喉切除术后复发原因探讨及预防

目的：探讨声门型喉癌术后复发的原因，提出有效的防治措施。方法：对我院191年8月－2001年8月收的46例声门型喉癌部分喉切除术后复发病例进行回顾性分析，对原发肿瘤的部位、手术方式及复发肿瘤的部位进行了分析。结果：46例首次复发声门型喉癌病例中，局部复发32例，其中喉内第二原发病变致术后局部复发13例，占40．6％（13／32）。颈部复发14例，其中上颈部是颈部复发的重要部位，占42．9％（6／14）。喉内局部复发再次手术治疗后第2次复发的9例中，上颈部和局部复发仍是主要的复发部位，占55．6％（5／9）。结论：正确处理晚期声门型喉癌和喉内局部复发癌的上颈部淋巴结及正确认识声门型喉癌内第二原发病变并作相应的处理是降低声门型喉癌术后复发的重要措施。     

The role of supracricoid laryngectomy for glottic carcinoma recurrence after radiotherapy failure: a critical review

CONCLUSIONS: In the near future salvage supracricoid laryngectomy (SCL) will be used more extensively for failures of radiotherapy for glottic carcinoma. OBJECTIVES: Primary radiotherapy has been used for patients with early glottic carcinomas in northern Europe and North America for more than half a century. Local recurrences after radiotherapy for glottic malignancies occur in 5-25% for T1 carcinomas and in 15-50% for T2 carcinomas. The classic choice as salvage surgery in cases of glottic squamous cell carcinoma recurrence after irradiation failure is total laryngectomy. The development of extended conservation procedures such as SCL has permitted an increasing number of successful partial laryngectomies that save laryngeal functions after radiotherapy failure. SCL allows the creation of a neo-larynx, permitting both swallowing and speech; in most cases the tracheostoma can be closed. METHODS: The electronic database Pubmed was searched without publication date limits. RESULTS: Considering available data (103 cases), 84.5% of the cases treated with salvage SCL for irradiation failure did not present a new local recurrence; laryngeal recurrences after salvage SCL (15.5%) were successfully treated with total laryngectomy in 66.7% of the cases. Tracheostoma closure was possible in all except two cases after a mean period ranging between 12 and 28 days. Swallowing results seemed good, with longer recovery time in irradiated than in non-irradiated patients who underwent SCL. Voice quality determined with psychoacoustic methods had acceptable intelligibility.     

The significance of positive margins in hemilaryngectomy specimens.

This clinicopathologic study was undertaken to determine the meaning of surgical margins “involved” with carcinoma. The fate of hemilaryngectomy patients whose specimens had this finding was compared with that of patients who had “uninvolved” margins. A consecutive series of 111 hemilaryngectomies performed for previously untreated invasive epidermoid carcinoma was analyzed. Serial step sections in a longitudinal plane were available for re-examination and re-evaluation of the surgical margins in each case. Clinical follow-up on every patient was current through 1972. Thirty-nine patients had cancer involvement of a margin in the hemilaryngectomy specimen. None of these patients received any immediate therapy but were followed only. Seven of these patients (18 percent) subsequently developed a biopsy proven local recurrence. Four of the 72 patients (6 percent) with uninvolved margins developed a local recurrence. The site of the positive margin in the specimen was compared with the clinical site of recurrence. The seven local recurrences in patients with positive margins were treated with full course irradiation or total laryngectomy. All of these patients are alive and free of cancer or have died of other causes without evidence of cancer. Of the four local recurrences in patients with negative margins one died of cancer; two are living and well, and one died of other causes. This study provides evidence to support the conservative management of those hemilaryngectomy patients who have involved margins in the resection specimen. No immediate treatment is required. Careful follow-up is indicated with 18 percent chance of clinical recurrence. These biopsy proven recurrences can then be successfully treated with total laryngectomy or full course irradiation. Utilizing this approach none of the 39 patients with involved margins died of cancer in the 5 to 12-year follow-up period.     

喉部分切除术后复发癌的外科挽救治疗

目的 分析喉部分切除术后喉复发癌的外科治疗方法、预后及影响预后的因素.方法 回顾分析中国医学科学院肿瘤医院头颈外科77例喉部分切除患者术后喉复发癌再行外科挽救治疗的临床资料.其中51例行喉全切除术,26例行喉部分切除术,其中19例无放疗史者行手术加放疗的综合治疗.Kaplan-Meier法统计生存率,Cox多因素分析影...     

Salvage resection after previous laryngeal surgery: total laryngectomy with en bloc resection of the overlying cervical skin.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of extended total laryngectomy for the treatment of recurrences of laryngeal cancer. DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective clinical study of patients who had undergone extended total laryngectomy and were seen over a 15-year period. The follow-up period ranged from 3 to 15 years. SETTING: Academic tertiary referral medical center. PATIENTS: We observed 15 patients who were affected by a recurrence of laryngeal cancer that extended to the overlying soft tissue. All patients were male. The mean age was 61.5 years. Thirteen patients had previously undergone partial laryngeal surgery, and 2 patients had undergone radiation therapy, without success. INTERVENTION: All patients underwent total laryngectomy extending to the soft tissue, including the overlying skin. RESULTS: Five of the 15 patients died of local recurrence, and 1 patient died of massive postoperative hemorrhaging. An actuarial survival rate of 60% was observed at 5 years. CONCLUSION: Total laryngectomy extending to the soft tissues seems to be an effective procedure for treating local recurrences of laryngeal cancer after partial laryngectomy or failure of radiation therapy.     

Primary Closure of Pharyngeal Remnant After Total Laryngectomy and Partial Pharyngectomy: How Much Residual Mucosa Is Sufficient?

After total laryngectomy with or without partial pharyngectomy, the remaining pharyngeal defect can be repaired either by primary closure or with additional tissue, depending on the amount of pharyngeal tissue remnant available. The aim of this study was to determine the minimum width of the pharyngeal remnant that could be safely closed primarily without causing difficulty in swallowing. A total of 52 consecutive patients who underwent total laryngectomy were entered into the study. The relaxed and stretched widths of the pharyngeal remnant were measured after removal of the specimen. The widths of the pharyngeal mucosa ranged from 1.5 to 5.0 cm relaxed (mean, 3.24 cm) and from 2.5 to 8.0 cm stretched (mean, 4.83 cm). All neopharynx was reconstructed by closing the pharynx primarily. Seven of the 52 patients developed recurrent tumor with concomitant dysphagia. Two of the 45 patients without recurrence presented with acute dysphagia from food bolus obstruction, and 1 patient developed benign inflammatory stricture following an episode of fish-bone impaction. The narrowest widths of the pharyngeal remnant in this group of 45 were 1.5 cm relaxed and 2.5 cm stretched. As these patients do not have swallowing difficulty, we conclude that in the absence of tumor recurrence, this amount of residual pharyngeal tissue is sufficient both for primary closure of the pharynx and in restoring swallowing function.     

Glottische Larynxkarzinome

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic laser resection is one treatment modality for early glottic carcinoma. Benefits are the preservation of laryngeal structure without tracheotomy, the short duration of treatment, low traumatisation and good functional results. METHODS: From 1989 to 1999, 143 patients with an isolated and previously untreated glottic squamous cell carcinoma were treated by CO2 endoscopic laser resection. The tumors were classified as carcinoma in situ (Tis) in seven cases, T1 tumor (T1N0M0) in 91 patients and T2 tumor (T2N0M0) in 45 cases. Median follow-up was 5 years. RESULTS: For the group of Tis and T1 carcinomas, 86 of 98 patients were free of recurrences. The 12 recurrences (12.2%) were treated by repeated laser surgery and laryngectomy (four patients). None of these patients died of tumor related causes. For patients with T2 carcinomas, the overall recurrence rate was 28.9% (13 patients). In six patients, a total laryngectomy had to be performed and one patient died because of tumor recurrence. The relapse free survival estimate using the Kaplan-Meier method was 87% for Tis and T1 carcinomas and 70% for T2 carcinomas. The overall laryngeal preservation rate was 95% for Tis and T1 carcinomas and 85% for T2 tumors. All recurrences occurred within 4 years of primary surgery. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the oncological outcome after endoscopic laser surgery is comparable to conventional open partial resections.