Background: To preserve laryngeal function in early-stage laryngeal cancer, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are performed more often than surgery as initial treatment. However, in recurrent cases, complex salvage surgery is often required as patients who received aggressive chemoradiotherapy are susceptible to postoperative complications. We report here salvage therapy that preserved laryngeal function in a recurrent case.
Methods: A 52-year-old man with recurrent laryngeal cancer (rT2N0M0) after chemoradiotherapy and followed by induction chemotherapy underwent partial vertical laryngectomy and right vocal cord reconstruction with a thyroid flap.
Results: Laryngeal functions were successfully preserved and the patient was discharged 2 months after surgery.
Conclusion: The number of salvage surgeries performed after high-dose chemotherapy and radiation is expected to increase in the future. A thyroid gland flap promises to be an effective treatment option for vocal cord reconstruction especially for patients at high risk of postchemoradiotherapy complications.
Keywords: functional preservation operation; partial vertical laryngectomy; salvage surgery; thyroid gland flap; vocal cord reconstruction.
Copyright © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.