Larynx organ preservation in subjects with hypopharynx-larynx cancer

Background Till not many years ago, the recommended treatment for advanced laryngeal cancer was a total laryngectomy followed by adjuvant radiation therapy. Studies conducted from 1980’s have broadened the therapeutic options, in the attempt to cure the cancer while sparing laryngeal functions. Functional surgery and a combination of chemotherapy (CT) and radiotherapy (RT) appears to be able to reach these objectives. We analyzed the case series of patients with laryngeal-hypopharyngeal cancer observed in the period 1999-2006 to evaluate the results on the basis of the treatment offered, focusing in particular on advanced-stage cancer.