Emory University, Atlanta, Ga;
American Cancer Society, Atlanta;
American College of Surgeons, Chicago, Ill
Background: Stage at diagnosis not only dictates optimal treatment but also impacts prognosis. Early-stage laryngeal cancer is treated with a greater than 80% chance of cure whereas late-stage laryngeal cancer has a 5-year survival rate of less than 50%. As health insurance status may affect access to medical care and thus stage at diagnosis, this study was performed to determine the relationship between health insurance and stage at diagnosis for laryngeal cancer.