Salvage total laryngectomy for squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx and hypopharynx: Validated prognostic nomograms predicting oncological outcomes

Background Salvage total laryngectomy (STL) is a preferred treatment for patients with residual, recurrent, and second primary squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx/hypopharynx after (chemo)radiation. To individually estimate postoperative oncological outcomes, we designed and validated prognostic nomograms. Methods We used a dataset of 290 patients who underwent STL. Nomograms predicting 2‐ and 5‐year OS, DFS, and DSS were developed, using variables which are identified pre‐ or postoperatively. The nomograms were externally validated on a dataset of 109 patients. Results The nomograms based on postoperative variables performed better than those based on preoperative variables (OS: C = 0.68 vs. 0.64; DFS: C = 0.70 vs. 0.64; DSS: C = 0.74 vs. 0.64). The nomogram predicting DSS based on postoperative variables performed best. Conclusions The presented prognostic nomograms for predicting oncological outcomes in patients who undergo STL are tools which allow for a reliable prognostic assessment.