Abstract
We retrospectively examined 26 patients with mesopharyngeal cancer treated in our institution between 1981 and 1988, to evaluate prognostic factors in our planned combined therapy.
The combined therapy, in most instances, consisted of planned preoperative irradiation, totalling 30Gy, and intravenous chemotherapy using 5-fluorouracil, followed by an en bloc tumor resection, radical neck dissection, and primary reconstruction.
The overall 5-year survival rate was 48.8%. The most frequent cause of treatment failure was local recurrence, seen in 4 of all patients. The histopathological effect of preoperative therapy for the primary site was Grade IIa or IIb in accord with the patients who had had local recurrence.
To improve the results of therapy, more intensive preoperative irradiation or chemotherapy, and more extensive tumor resection are necessary especially in advanced cases. Furthermore, it is necessary to control other diseases such as those observed in 40% of 10 patients who died whthin 5 years.
