Radiotherapy for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma: current standards

Abstract

During the past decades, treatment of laryngeal cancer has changed substantially, mainly due to the advent of novel approaches such as combined modality therapy as well as improvements in radiotherapeutic techniques. Locoregionally advanced disease in particular, which resulted in high recurrence and mortality rates, is now associated with long-term disease-free survival in a large proportion of cases. Moreover, with multimodality treatment, larynx preservation is now possible in most patients. There are varied regimens in use for patients with advanced disease, but at the same time the multitude of options can plague the clinician when trying to select the most appropriate one. This article will attempt to put the various approaches into perspective.

Keywords::

• chemotherapy
• IMRT
• laryngeal cancer
• radiotherapy

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Sandra Nuyts is supported by a grant from the Klinisch Onderzoeksfonds (KOF) of the University Hospitals Leuven. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.