Background & objective: The surgical margin is very important for laryngeal carcinoma treatment. To preserve more laryngeal tissue can give patients good function, however, which increase the rate of positive surgical margin and recurrence. The correct surgical margin is benefit for laryngeal carcinoma patients' prognosis. This study was designed to investigate the value of surgical margin to direct the treatment of laryngeal carcinoma after partial laryngectomy and to evaluate the prognosis of laryngeal carcinoma.
Methods: The authors studied 115 cases of laryngeal carcinoma in which surgical margin samples were harvested during partial laryngectomy. The recurrence rate and survival curve of the positive and negative margin group were compared; The survival curve between the groups with and without postoperative radiotherapy both in negative margin group and positive margin group were also compared.
Results: The results of the negative group were better than that of the positive group: recurrence rate was higher (28.0% Vs 7.8% P = 0.006), the survival curve was better(P = 0.0241); The survival curve of those with positive surgical margin, at the same time, treated by postoperative radiotherapy was better than that of those without postoperative radiotherapy (P = 0.0046); but in negative group, the survival curve of those who treated with or without postoperative radiotherapy or not was different insignificantly (P = 0.0829).
Conclusions: The prognosis of the positive margin group of laryngeal carcinoma was waster than that of the negative group, but it can be improved partially by postoperative radiotherapy. The best way to improve the prognosis was dissect entirely; There is not necessary to treat negative group by postoperative radiotherapy.