MRI scans are useful in establishing the extent of the disease. Since treatment will vary depending on the stage and extent of disease, it is very important to establish the stage precisely before therapy is begun.
Symptoms generally occur late and spread tends to occur early, so the survival rates for cancers in this area are lower than for other sites in the head and neck.
No single therapeutic approach offers an advantage over the others, so treatment decisions depend on a careful review of each case with attention to the stage, the physical condition, age and emotional status of the patient, the experience of the physicians and the treatment facilities available.
Treatment by Stage
Stage I
Standard Treatment Except for rare very small T1 cancers, treatment is primarily surgery, usually followed by radiotherapy . Since early symptoms are rare, fewer than 2 percent of patients are diagnosed when their tumors are small, protrude from the surface and are treatable with radiotherapy alone.
Standard treatment is laryngopharyngectomy and neck dissection. In selected cases, only part of the larynx has to be removed and the voice can be preserved. In larger (T2) tumors, post-operative radiotherapy is used.
There are several approaches to the use of radiation therapy . Some treatment centers give it preoperatively. Others also treat an extended area of potential spread of tumor, including both sides of the neck.
