Stage III or IV Laryngeal Cancer: Treatment When Initial Therapy Has Not Achieved Full Response
For patients with stage III or stage IV laryngeal cancer, several initial treatment approaches are available. When those treatments do not produce the required response — residual tumor remains or expected shrinkage is not achieved — a defined next step is indicated.
This protocol applies to stage III or stage IV laryngeal cancer — locally advanced disease in which the initial course of treatment has not met its primary goals.
Initial treatment for stage III and IV laryngeal cancer may include surgery, chemotherapy followed by chemoradiation, chemotherapy with radiation, or other modalities. This protocol applies when that initial treatment failed to achieve its critical goals — specifically: shrinkage of the tumor after induction chemotherapy, or no cancer remaining after chemoradiation.
When the tumor does not shrink after initial treatment or cancer remains after chemoradiation, a surgical approach is the established next step. The full structured protocol specifies exactly how this is carried out for each clinical situation.
References
The main options for initial treatment for these cancers are surgery, chemotherapy followed by chemoradiation, or chemotherapy with radiation.
If any cancer remains after treatment, surgery can then be done to try to remove it.
If the tumor doesn't shrink, surgery is usually the next treatment.
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