Malignant tumors of the mesopharynx are not common among malignant tumors of the head and neck region. The incidence at the National Cancer Center Hospital (NCCH) was 10.6% (209 out of 1966 patients). From 1962 through 1974, one hundred and five patients with malignant tumor of the lateral wall of the mesopharynx were treated at NCCH. 57 of them were squamous cell carcinoma and 48 were malignant lymphoma.
The male to female ratio was 3.4:1 in the patients with sqamous cell carcinoma and the majority of the patients were between 50 and 79 years of age. There was no sex predominance in the patients with malignant lymphoma and they ranged equally from fourth to eighth decade.
The most common symptom was sore throat in cases with squamous cell carcinoma and a mass in the neck in cases with malignant lymphoma.
Radiation therapy was used as the initial treatment in 82% of the patients with squamous cell carcinoma and in 90% of the patients with malignant lymphoma. The five-year crude survival rates for the cases with squamous cell carcinoma and malignant lymphoma were 49% and 56%, respectively.
Squamous cell carcinoma of palatine tonsil were predominantly poorly differenciated type and freaquantly developed cervical lymph nodes metastases. Control of clinically involved cervical lymph nodes is imperative. In the majority of the patients with squamous cell carcinoma from anterior pillar, radiation therapy was done and faild to control the primary site. Surgical treatment should, therefore, be considered.
