Prognostic value of resection margins in supracricoid laryngectomy.
OBJECTIVE
The objective was to assess the prognostic value of surgical margin involvement in patients treated for squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx.


METHODS
Retrospective study.


METHODS
A review was made of 253 patients treated with supracricoid laryngectomy between 1984 and 2001. A histopathological study on the surgical resection margins was performed in all cases. The incidence of local recurrence was correlated with the histological features of resection margins.


RESULTS
Forty patients (15.8%) were identified as having positive margins: 29 had invasive carcinoma and 11 had dysplastic lesions. The remaining 213 patients (84.2%) had negative margins. Subsequent follow-up showed that 19 of 253 patients developed local recurrence and 3 patients developed regional recurrence. Nine of these patients had positive resection margins (six with invasive carcinoma and three with dysplastic lesions), and 10 had negative resection margins. Overall survival at 3 years was significantly higher for patients without recurrence than for patients with local or regional failure (89.9% vs. 45.5% [P <.05]).


CONCLUSIONS
According to results of the study, patients with positive resection margins developed local recurrence more frequently than those with clear resection margins (P <.05).
Gallo
Andrea
A
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy. andrea.gallo@uniroma1.it
Manciocco
Valentina
V
Tropiano
Maria Luisa
ML
Simonelli
Marilia
M
Marvaso
Vincenzo
V
D'Arcangelo
Enzo
E
de Vincentiis
Marco
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D003413:Cricoid Cartilage; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D007825:Laryngectomy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis