Laryngeal cancer

2024: For 10 years, mortality from laryngeal cancer in Russia decreased by only 0.5%

Over the past decade, mortality rates from laryngeal cancer in Russia have practically not changed. Despite the development of medical technologies and the introduction of new treatments, the reduction in mortality was only 0.5%. This became known on October 9, 2024.

According to the publication "Medvestnik," the incidence of laryngeal cancer in Russia is about 3% per 100 thousand population. Oncologist from Kazan Andrei Rudyk notes that tobacco smoking remains the main risk factor for the development of this disease. According to the latest scientific research, people who smoke more than one pack of cigarettes a day for 30-40 years are 16.7 times more likely to get laryngeal cancer than nonsmokers.

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Freepik

Andrei Rudyk emphasizes that more than 80% of patients with laryngeal cancer are men over 60 years old, whose diagnosis is often complicated by concomitant diseases and bad habits, including excessive alcohol consumption.

One effective treatment for the initial forms of laryngeal cancer is transoral laser microsurgery. This minimally invasive method has been practiced in the world for several decades and is among the standard methods of treatment in accordance with current domestic and international clinical recommendations.

According to Andrei Rudyk, the level of general and specific survival of patients after such treatment reaches almost 100%. However, the success of the operation largely depends on behavioral factors, primarily smoking cessation.

Studies at Stevenson National Cancer Center show that avoiding tobacco smoking after diagnosis significantly increases the effectiveness of therapy. The probability of complete response to first-line therapy in quitters is 3.7 times higher than in active smokers. There is also a statistically significant increase in overall 7-year survival in patients who quit smoking.^[1]

2023: In the Altai Territory, the number of cases of pharyngeal cancer in women increased by 333% in 10 years

In the Altai Territory in 2023, in ten years, the number of cases of pharyngeal cancer in women increased by 333%. Such data are contained in the report of the Ministry of Health of the Altai Territory under the program "Fight against Cancer," published in early June 2024.

The document notes that over the same period in men, the number of cases of pharyngeal cancer increased by 310%. The factors that influence the increase in the number of cancer diseases are stated in the report. Among the reasons are ionizing radiation due to nuclear explosions at the Semipalatinsk test site from 1949 to 1962, as well as the fall of fragments of rocket carriers launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome.

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Unsplash

The level of oncological diseases in the region is also influenced by the structure of the industrial complex, where about 85% of the shipped goods are in manufacturing industries, including food and machine-building products, coke, rubber and plastic products, and chemical production. The high primary incidence of internal organ tumors, which are difficult to diagnose and treat, is also characteristic of the region. For example, the primary incidence rate of liver cancer is 45% higher than the average for Russia, pancreatic cancer - by 38.3%, kidney cancer - by 79%.

The report says that in 2023, the "gross" primary cancer incidence rate per 100 thousand population of the Altai Territory amounted to 620.1 ppm, which is 18% more than in 2022. Over the past ten years, the average growth rate of this indicator was 1.2% per year. In 2023, 13.2 thousand cases of malignant neoplasms (ZNO) were recorded in the region, of which 6.4 thousand in men and 6.8 thousand in women.

According to the Ministry of Health of the region, the most common types of malignant neoplasms were pharyngeal and liver cancer. The leading localizations of PRN among men are cancer of the trachea, bronchi and lungs (18%) and prostate (17.5%), among women - breast cancer (21.3%) and skin neoplasms (16.9%).

Ministry of Health of the Altai Territory Order of May 31, 2024 No. 248

2020: Progress in treating laryngeal cancer with robotic surgeons

In early September 2020, researchers at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles presented a study that found the best long-term results were obtained in patients with early-stage oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma operated on transoral robotic systems. The researchers believe this may be due to better imaging, less need for subsequent radiotherapy and the ability to remove the tumor in one piece using minimally invasive methods.

The robotic system in a minimally invasive transoral procedure is managed by a surgeon. The system consists of an endoscope with a lamp and camera attached to it, which transmit three-dimensional images of the back of the oropharynx to the doctor, as well as two remotely controlled tools that allow the tumor to be safely and effectively isolated from the surrounding tissues.

Robotic surgeons are better than humans at treating laryngeal cancer

The retrospective observational study used data from the National Cancer Database, which included 9,745 surgical patients. Between 2010 and 2015, transoral robotic surgery was performed on 2,694 patients. After adjusting the data for health differences and other characteristics, the five-year survival rate in this group was 84.5%, while in the group without using robotic systems - 80.3%.

The researchers also confirmed that robotic systems have become increasingly used for surgery for early-stage oropharyngeal cancer. In 2010, the proportion of patients who underwent such operations was 18.3%, and by 2015 it had grown to 35.5%. The number of medical institutions that perform robotic procedures has also almost doubled - from 6.3% to 13.9%.^[2]

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