Postoperative radiotherapy of cancers of the larynx at the EHS in oncology Emir Abdelkader of Oran: retrospective study of 89 cases

Objectives: to describe the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic characteristics and to estimate the overall survival and relapse-free survival after postoperative locoregional radiotherapy treatment in patients with laryngeal cancer at the EHS in oncology Emir Abdelkader of Oran. Material and methods: this is a retrospective descriptive study carried out at the EHS in oncology Emir Abdelkader of Oran between 2014 and 2018 in patients with laryngeal cancer. These patients received postoperative locoregional radiotherapy after total laryngectomy associated with chemotherapy in case of poor prognosis factors. Overall survival and relapse-free survival curves were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: A total of 89 patients were collected. The average age was 62.7 years (40-86 years). It was a squamous cell carcinoma in all cases. Postoperatively, the tumor was classified as pT3 and pT4 in 93,3% of patients. Histological lymph node involvement was found in 36 cases (40.4%) with capsule rupture in 39% of cases, while the limits of surgical excision were microscopically infiltrated in 11 patients (12,3%). Chemotherapy concomitant with radiotherapy was used in 67,4% of patients. With a median follow-up of 57 months (23 to 104 months), the probabilities of overall survival and relapse-free survival at five years are 72,4% and 71,2%, respectively. Conclusion: Our study confirms the role of radiotherapy in reducing the risk of postoperative relapse of laryngeal carcinomas. To guarantee better therapeutic results, close collaboration between the ENT surgeon and the radiation oncologist is necessary.