Treatment of stage i t1 glottic cancer

Introduction Most larynx cancers arise in the glottis, which comprises, for purposes of clinical staging, the superior and inferior surfaces of the true vocal cords (including the anterior and posterior commissures). The glottis occupies a horizontal plane 1 cm in thickness, extending inferiorly from the lateral margin of the ventricle. Stage I T1N0 cancers are limited to the vocal cords and commissures, with normal cord mobility. T1a lesions are limited to a single cord, while disease that involves both cords is stage T1b. A cancer with impairment in cord mobility and/or extension to the supraglottis or subglottis is stage II T2N0 [1]. Three-quarters of patients with larynx cancer in North America present with stage I or II disease [2,3]. Treatment of stage I glottic cancer is highly successful and larynx preservation is usually achieved. Neither total laryngectomy nor chemoradiation are indicated in the initial management of T1 glottic cancer, nor is treatment of the neck. [4].