Therapy
If the carcinoma is still at an early stage (T1) at the time of diagnosis, laser ablation (endolaryngeal surgery) is most commonly performed nowadays. Alternatives are the somewhat outdated conventional choroidectomy, in which the vocal fold including the vocal muscle is removed through an external access (for this the thyroid cartilage has to be split), and the irradiation of the tumor area from the outside. However, the irradiation has the decisive disadvantage that no tissue examination can be performed. In more advanced tumor stages, the procedure of choice is either a partial or complete resection of the larynx (laryngectomy), depending on the spread of the carcinoma. If tumor tissue has also been detected in the surrounding cervical lymph nodes, this is also removed (neck dissection).
Prognosis
The prognosis of vocal fold carcinoma is considered good with a 5-year survival rate of approximately 90%. There are several reasons for this:
- On the one hand, due to the early noticeable symptoms, a diagnosis can often be made early and a therapy can be initiated, which is why in most cases there has not yet been any scattering (metastasis) at the time of detection.
- In addition, there are now good and modern treatment options available, with which high success rates can be achieved.
