Hypofractionated Radiotherapy in the Treatment of Early Glottic Carcinoma
ABSTRACT Introduction Given the high probability of cure, the aims of treatment are cure, laryngeal preservation and good voice quality while making effective use of available resources. In this study we analyze locoregional control (LRC) and survival following hypofractionated radiotherapy in early stage glottic squamous cell carcinoma treated at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Center. Materials and methods Between October 2003 and June 2009, 87 patients with early glottic squamous cell carcinoma were treated with hypofractionated radiotherapy. All patients were included in the study (M: 94%; F:6%). Median age was 60 years (range: 21-81 years). Sixty-six percent of patients were smokers. AJCC stage was T1 in 95% and T2 in 5% of the patients. Radiotherapy dose was 55 Gy in 20 fractions over 4 weeks. All patients were treated on cobalt-60. Median radiotherapy treatment time was 28 days (range: 23-35 days). Results The LRC rate after primary radiotherapy at 5 years was 91% (95% CI: 88-94%). The 5 years overall and disease-specific survival was 86% (95% CI: 81 and 91%) and 97% (CI 95%: 95 and 99%) respectively. Patients with T1a and T1b disease had LRC rates of 95 and 88% (p = 0.32). The LRC rates for patients with and without anterior commissure involvement at 5 years were 80 and 96% (p = 0.02) respectively. Conclusion Hypofractionated radiotherapy 55 Gy in 20 fractions is comparable to conventional fractionation schedules in terms of locoregional control and survival while offering potential for optimizing resources usage.