Abstract: Lasersurgery has established itself in the treatment of minor tumors (T1 - T2) of the upper aerodigestive tract. However, advanced carcinomas of the head and neck (T3 - T4) are generally treated with conventional surgical procedures which include pharyngolaryngectomy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the oncological outcome of endoscopic lasersurgery in advanced head and neck tumors and to compare the results with conventional surgical procedures. Between January 1994 to December 1996, 86 patients with advanced squamous cell carcinomas of the larynx and hypopharynx underwent endoscopic lasersurgery instead of pharyngolaryngectomy as a curative measure. Besides the recurrence and survival rate, the necessity of tracheostomy, postoperative complications and the mean duration of hospitalization were documented. The results showed that the recurrence and survival rate were similar or even better after conventional pharyngolaryngectomy, whereas the patients' postoperative rehabilitation was better after lasersurgery. In this contribution the indication for lasersurgical intervention or pharyngolaryngectomy in advanced carcinomas of the head and neck is discussed.!32
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