State of the art in the treatment of laryngeal carcinoma: the head and neck surgeon perspective.

Laryngeal carcinoma is the eleventh commonest form of cancer in men world-wide with about 52.000 new cases/year in Europe, and approximately 9.500 – 11.000 in the United States. The evolution of laryngeal carcinoma treatment could be divided into three main eras. The first was focused on curing patients using radical procedures, mainly by total laryngectomy. The second era had the goal of voice preservation respecting oncological principles. The current one is based on organ sparing protocols utilizing a combination of radiation, chemotherapy and surgery. Optimal patient selection and tailored indications increase the likelihood of a successful outcome of treatment. The modern approach to laryngeal carcinoma needs a specialized team including head and neck surgeons, radiotherapists, medical oncologists, pathologists, speech and swallow therapists.