Treatment and survival trends in glottic carcinoma in situ and stage I cancer from 1988 to 2012

Objective: To identify trends in treatment and survival for patients with stage I glottic cancer and glottic carcinoma in situ (CIS). Methods: The 18-registry SEER data were analyzed for CIS and stage I glottic cancer. Treatment variables and observed and relative survival were assessed separately for stage I and glottic CIS. Results: Among 14 025 cases of stage I glottic cancer identified from 1988 to 2012, radiation was the most common treatment for all eras. An increase in surgical treatment occurred with a decline in combination therapy. There were 3169 cases of glottic CIS, with surgery the most common initial treatment but with radiotherapy increasing across the years. Relative survival was similar for treatment type and era of diagnosis. Among the 3738 patients with glottic CIS, 5.4% went on to develop invasive glottic carcinoma of any stage, with invasive cancer more common in patients treated by surgery alone compared to radiation or surgery with radiation. Conclusions: Despite changes in treatment modalities for CIS and stage I glottic cancer, there have not been significant changes in survival for CIS, with slightly improved survival for treatment with surgery alone. Patients treated with surgery alone had an increased rate of subsequent invasive cancer.