The control of early glottic cancer is equally satisfactory with either surgical resection or radiation therapy; this last method gives the patient good functional results. During the period from 1/1978 to 12/1985, 73 patients with early glottic carcinoma (T1 N0 M0) were treated in the Institute of Radiotherapy L. Galvani, University of Bologna; 45 were stage T1a (tumour limited to one vocal cord) and 28 were stage T1b (tumour of both vocal cords or involving anterior commissure); radiation treatment utilised a 60Co machine and 5 x 5 cm fields; the median dose was 67.2 Gy (range 50-76) with conventional fractionation. Ten patients had local recurrence; the median time of recurrence was 13.4 months; 9/10 were treated by surgery and 2/10 died, so the overall control by radiotherapy with surgery in reserve was 100% in T1a tumours and 90.6% in T1b ones. The 5-years disease free survival rate was 93.1% in T1a tumours and 69% in T1b; lesions involving anterior commissure had the worst prognosis, independent of the dose and time-dose factor (3/10 recurrences in the group treated with TDF less than 110 and 4/18 recurrences in the group with TDF more than 110).