Abstract
Fifty-eight patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma, who were treated at our hospital (UOEH) from 1990 to 1999, were retrospectively analyzed regarding the treatment modalities and survival. Following induction chemotherapy (CBDCA+5-FU), 36 operable cases underwent surgery (with or without a total- laryngectomy) and/or radiation therapy and 22 inoperable cases received 2 courses of chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy. The overall 5-year survival rate was 35.3% for all patients, 70% for stage I (n=2) and stage 11 (n=8), 25% for stagal (n=12), and 28.3% for stage IV (n=36). In 10 patients whose larynx was preserved because of a successful response to the induction chemotherapy, 8 cases survived more than 3 years without recurrence, and only one case died due to local failure. A more effective induction treatment such as a combination of chemotherapy and radiation were thought to make larygeal preservation possible in patients with early stage disease. Of 26 patients who underwent surgery including a total laryngectomy, 11 cases had postoperative radiation therapy (30 to 70Gy) because their surgical margin was not sufficient. The 5-year survival rate for the radiation group was 63.3%, while the rate for the non-radiation group was 31.3%. These results indicated that postoperative radiation therapy should therefore be performed in all patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma even after undergoing successful surgery.
