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Outcomes of salvage surgery for the oropharynx and larynx: a contemporary experience in a UK Cancer Centre

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Abstract

Introduction

The purpose of this study was to review our recent experience of salvage surgery, comparing larynx and oropharynx recurrence patterns.

Methods

A single centre, retrospective review of salvage surgery for recurrent head and neck cancer including patients between 2008 and 2016.

Results

61 patients were identified, 36 underwent salvage laryngectomy and 25 received oropharyngeal resections. The median overall survival of oropharyngeal recurrent tumors was 26 months (95% CI 15–118 months) and for laryngeal tumors was 23 months (95% CI 11–38 months), p = 0.1008. There was a significant overall survival benefit in patients with negative resection margin. The median survival in the negative margin group was 38 months (95% CI 25–108 months) compared to the positive margin group, 9 months (95% CI 5–15 months), p < 0.0001.

Conclusion

Survival results following surgical salvage in the larynx and oropharynx appear to be similarly poor. Those patients with clear margins appear to have a significantly better prognosis.

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Funding

This study was not funded.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Head and Neck Surgery Department, Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Trust, Great Maze Pond, London, SE1 9RT, UK

    Ashley Hay, Ricard Simo, Gillian Hall, Selvam Tharavai, Richard Oakley, Alastair Fry, Luke Cascarini, Mary Lei, Teresa Guerro-Urbano & Jean-Pierre Jeannon

Authors
  1. Ashley Hay
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  2. Ricard Simo
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  3. Gillian Hall
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  4. Selvam Tharavai
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  5. Richard Oakley
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  6. Alastair Fry
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  7. Luke Cascarini
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  8. Mary Lei
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  9. Teresa Guerro-Urbano
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  10. Jean-Pierre Jeannon
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ashley Hay.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Hay, A., Simo, R., Hall, G. et al. Outcomes of salvage surgery for the oropharynx and larynx: a contemporary experience in a UK Cancer Centre. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 276, 1153–1159 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-019-05295-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-019-05295-x

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