Routine restaging after primary non-surgical treatment of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma-a review.

Studies evaluating restaging methods after organ-preserving non-surgical treatment of laryngeal carcinoma are limited. As radiotherapy (RT), chemoradiotherapy (CRT), systemic therapy followed by RT and radioimmunotherapy are established alternatives to surgical treatment, particularly in advanced laryngeal cancers, further studies are needed to assess and compare different imaging modalities (e.g. PET/CT, MRI, CT, ultrasound) and clinical diagnostic tools (e.g., video laryngoscopy, direct laryngoscopy) to offer patients safe and efficient restaging strategies. PET or PET/CT 3 months after initial treatment followed by direct laryngoscopy with biopsy of the identified lesions has the potential to reduce the number of unnecessary laryngoscopies.