Home » ENT Updates

Long Term Outcome of Juvenile Onset Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis in University Kebangsaan Medical Centre

Goh Bee See
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Nadhirah Mohd Shakri
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Jenny Loh Chen Nee
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Pantai Hospital Ayer Keroh, Melaka, Malaysia
Received: 24 September 2024
Published: 28 January 2020

Abstract

Objective: To review the long term outcome of juvenile onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (JORRP) in University Kebangsaan Medical Centre (UKMMC).

Methods: A sixteen-year retrospective study – from January 2002 to June 2019 – of patients who presented with JORRP at our hospital was carried out.

Results: Nineteen cases were identified with the youngest age of presentation being eight months old. The mean follow-up time was 4.8 years. All patients had glottic papilloma, ten had multi-site involvement, namely at the subglottic, trachea, oropharynx and one case of distal spread to the lungs. The majority (71.4%) of patients with tracheostomy had extralaryngeal spread and shorter surgical intervals (a mean of 3.2 procedures per year). All our patients were treated surgically. Two patients with aggressive disease received a trial of the adjuvant therapies Gardasil and Cidofovir. However, no improvement was observed.

Conclusion: The worst prognosis is seen in youngeronset JORRP. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment and patients with aggressive disease may need adjuvant therapy. Unfortunately, there is a lack of a standard protocol for adjuvant therapies. Tracheostomy increases the risk of extralaryngeal spread and aggressive disease, and thus should be reserved for patients with severe airway compromise.

Keywords

×