Dr. Pytynia noted that the cervical cancer vaccine, which targets the same HPV that causes oral, head and neck cancer, could be used in both girls and boys to prevent the disease.
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August 2009News & Notes
Chemotherapy and Radiation Can Save Larynx
Some patients with large laryngeal tumors can preserve their speech by choosing chemotherapy and radiation over laryngectomy, according to a June 5 online article in Laryngoscope.
Researchers from the University of Michigan, led by Francis P. Worden, MD, reviewed data from two U-M studies of advanced laryngeal cancer patients, looking specifically at 36 patients with T4 tumors. Study participants were given one round of induction chemotherapy. If the tumor shrank by more than 50% after the first round, patients were given three more rounds of chemotherapy, along with daily radiation therapy. Participants whose tumors did not respond to induction chemotherapy were referred for surgery.
They found that 81% of the patients responded to the induction chemotherapy, and many saw their tumors shrink completely. The three-year survival rate was 78%, and 58% had an intact larynx. Those who preserved their larynx reported better quality of life and less depression that those who had surgery. Few patients required a feeding tube or tracheostomy.
There was no survival difference between patients with the smallest and the largest tumors, Dr. Worden said, which suggests that organ preservation is a viable alternative to surgery for even large laryngeal cancers.
©2009 The Triological Society
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