Oncological and functional impact of adjuvant treatments after open partial laryngeal surgery: a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis

Background The oncological and functional role of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) after open partial laryngeal surgery (OPLS) remains debatable. Methods A systematic review and a meta-analysis of the literature were conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. Outcomes of patients receiving OPLS with and without PORT for laryngeal cancer were summarized. Results In the 10 studies that were included in the meta-analysis, no significant difference emerged in terms of pooled overall survival between OPLS patients who did and who did not receive PORT (− 0.3%, 95% CI − 5.4 to 4.9%, p = 0.922). Only one study showed a significantly higher incidence of complications in the PORT cohort. Conclusions PORT may apparently be performed after OPLS in face of adverse postoperative features without an increased risk of toxicities affecting the neolarynx. Because of the limitations in the available literature, the oncological and functional effects of PORT in this setting needs to be prospectively assessed to strengthen the evidence of this treatment strategy for laryngeal cancer.