Transoral laser microsurgery for T1 glottic cancer with anterior commissure: Identifying clinical and radiological variables that predict oncological outcome

Abstract

Abstract Purpose The involvement of the anterior commissure (AC) is regarded to be a risk factor for poor results after transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) for early glottic cancer. The objective of this study was to determine how AC-related clinical and radiological factors affected oncological outcomes in a cohort of patients with T1 stage early glottic carcinoma involving the anterior commissure who were treated with TLM with negative surgical margins. Methods Retrospective analysis was performed on clinical, radiological, and follow-up data of patients consecutively treated with TLM at a tertiary academic center between November 2011 and August 2021 for T1 glottic squamous cell carcinoma involving the anterior commissure. Recurrence-free survival (RFS), local control with laser alone (LCL), laryngeal preservation (LP), and overall survival (OS) rates (Kaplan–Meier) were the primary outcome metrics. Results In our series, 5-year OS probability was 75.1%, RFS was 64.8%, LCL was 73.8%, and LP was 83.4%. OS and RFS were higher in patients with early stages of AC pattern than in patients with advanced stage (p = 0.004, p = 0.034, respectively). Vertical extension ratio was found to be associated with OS and RFS (p = 0.023, p = 0.001, respectively), and thyroid cartilage interlaminar angle with LCL by multiple Cox regression analysis (p = 0.041). Conclusion TLM remains a valuable treatment option for AC involvement. AC3 type involvement and elevated vertical extension ratio were associated with negative prognosis. There have been signs that thyroid cartilage with a narrow angle increases recurrence. Alternative modalities should be kept in mind in the treatment decision of these cases.