Impact of re-resection for inadequate margins on the prognosis of upper aerodigestive tract cancer treated by laser microsurgery.
OBJECTIVE
Positive or uncertain surgical margins left untreated have a distinct prognostic relevance in squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract. An advantage of transoral laser microsurgery is that it can be easily repeated if inadequate resection margins are found postoperatively. The present study investigates the impact of laser surgical reresection on the outcome of patients.


METHODS
The authors conducted a retrospective unicenter study.


METHODS
A review of 1,467 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract who were initially treated by transoral laser microsurgery with curative intent between August 1986 and December 2002 was conducted. Locoregional control as well as TNM adjusted and overall survival were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method.


RESULTS
Three hundred eighty-six patients have required reresection to obtain clear surgical margins, in 70 of whom residual carcinoma has been detected in revision specimens. Patients without need for revision and those in whom revision specimens were found tumor-free had an almost identical locoregional control (P = .4611). In patients with positive revision specimens, however, locoregional control was significantly worsened (P = .0058). Neither the need for reresection nor the detection of further tumor tissue in revision specimens affected TNM adjusted or overall survival.


CONCLUSIONS
Survival of patients was similar whether clear resection margins were reached within the first surgical step or with revision surgery. However, patients in whom reresection specimens contained residual carcinoma had an increased risk of locoregional failure and should undergo a further reresection or at least a very close follow up.
Jäckel
Martin C
MC
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hospital of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany. martin.jaeckel@surfeu.de
Ambrosch
Petra
P
Martin
Alexios
A
Steiner
Wolfgang
W
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007012:Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D053685:Laser Therapy; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D011379:Prognosis; D012086:Reoperation; D012142:Respiratory Tract Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome