NEOADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY FOR HYPOPHARYNGEAL CARCINOMA

Abstract

The prognosis of patients with advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma (HPC) is poor. Many studies about chemoradiation for advanced head and neck carcinoma report significant benefit for survival. They also prove improved survival rate equal to radical surgery. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy contribute to functional preservation for head and neck cancer. Some studies report survival benefit with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for unresectable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Combination chemotherapy with CDDP, 5FU, and Docetaxel (TPF) shows strong effect for HNSCC. We studied NAC with TPF for advanced HNSCC. The response rate was 76.5% for 51 assessable patients. Patients with advanced HPC showed high response rate of 86.4%. NAC responders treated with chemoradiation showed good prognoses with larynx and hypopharynx preservation. NAC with TPF will play an important role in developing a new strategy for advanced HPC.