High dose pre‐operative radiotherapy and surgery for cancer of the larynx.

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Abstract
High dose pre‐operative radiotherapy has played an increasing role in the treatment of advanced cancer of the larynx at the University of Virginia Hospital since 1966. The results of treatment of 72 cases treated in this fashion are compared with 151 cases treated by surgery alone. Employing the actuarial method for calculating survival, there would appear to be a distinct improvement in the group receiving pre‐operative radiotherapy. Local recurrence was reduced to 15 percent following radiotherapy from a level of 30 percent with surgery alone; however, this is a retrospective study, and the two groups are not strictly comparable by age, sex and race. Comparison by stage demonstrates that the more advanced cases received pre‐operative radiotherapy. Morbidity from the combined approach was not increased with a dose of 5,000 rads delivered in five weeks.