Management of Vocal Cord Cancers

Early carcinomas of the vocal cords (T1 or T2) are generally treated with radiation therapy.  The chance of cure is essentially the same as it would be after conservative surgery, and voice quality is better.  Advanced laryngeal cancers are treated with radiation therapy alone for smaller volume tumors, “chemoradiation” (a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy) for larger volume tumors, and total laryngectomy plus postoperative radiation therapy for patients with very advanced disease.